UCSB  LIBRARY 


THE  LEECH  CLUB; 


OR,    THE 


MYSTERIES  OF  THE  CATSKILLS. 


BY 

GEORGE    W.    OWEN. 


BOSTOK: 

LEE    &    SHEPARD,    PUBLISHERS. 

NEW  YORK: 

LEE,  SHEPARD  &  DILLINGHAM. 
1874. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

GEORGE  W.  OWEN, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


OK, 


THE   MISTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS. 


CHAPTER  I.    » 

ABOVE     THE     CLOUDS. 

IT  matters  not  about  the  precise  date  of  this  tale. 
The  events  herein  narrated  are  of  such  recent  occurrence 
that  most  of  the  characters  are  still  living,  and  should 
the  dates  be  too  nicely  fixed,  many  who  figure  in  these 
pages  would  be  pestered  with  inquiries  from  the  curious 
that  might  not  be  pleasant. 

One  who  will  readily  be  recognized  as  a  principal 
character  of  this  narrative,  as  it  develops  itself,  will 
here  be  introduced.  Not  in  a  richly-furnished  parlor,  nor 
in  a  counting-room  with  the  concomitants  of  commercial 
wealth ;  nor  yet  in  a  lowly  tenement  or  cottage,  or  an 
unpretending  place  of  business;  nor  in  a  palace  coach, 
or  second-class  railway  car;  nor  jauntily  dashing  along 
upon  the  highway  behind  a  spirited  team  of  chargers ;  nor 
yet  trudging  wearily  through  lanes,  by-ways  or  fre 
quented  avenues,  an  object  of  commiseration  to  the 
more  wealthy  traveler  sailing  by  with  his  elegant  turnout. 
We  must  introduce  our  hero,  the  better  to  set  forth  his 


A  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

true  character,  where  there  were  no  thoroughfares  or 
beaten  paths ;  where  the  world  could  scarcely  be  cogni 
zant  of  his  existence,  and  where  he,  if  he  looked  down 
upon  the  world  at  all,  only  did  so  to  regret  that  it  ex 
isted,  and  that  his  walking  dream  of  ethereal  bliss  was 
not  a  reality. 

The  Catskills !  The  name  suggests  to  the  whilom 
voyager  on  the  classic  Hudson  a  vision  of  airy  and 
weird  peaks,  and  recollections  of  mysterious  legends. 
Stretching  for  miles  parallel  with  the  upper  Hudson, 
from  six  to  twelve  miles  from  the  river,  a  valley  inter 
vening,  variegated  with  farms,  woodlands,  glens,  winding 
rivulets  sparkling  through  deep  ravines,  forest-capped 
hills, — those  grand  old  mountains  in  the  rear  present  to 
the  enchanted  gaze  of  the  traveler  the  forms  of  collossal 
deitiesN  with  a  mosaic-carpeted  amphitheater  in  front, 
where  admiring  pilgrims  may  come  and  worship  at  their 
feet. 

Not  manf1  years  ago,  had  a  voyager  on  the  deck  of 
a  passing  Hudsqn  steamer  been  provided  with  a  power 
ful  telescope,  and  happened  to  direct  it  to  a  certain  one 
of  the  high  peaks  01  the  Catskills,  he  would  have  ob 
served  a  man  treading  its  airy  heights,  alone,  or  at  least 
with  no  companions  but  his  own  thoughts,  the  fleeting 
clouds,  the  shapeless  rocks,  and  the  varied  objects  of 
nature  that  were  evidently  engrossing  his  attention.  It 
was  just  such  a  day  as  the  admirer  of  mountain  scenery 
would  choose  for  tne  ascension  of  a  high  peak.  It  was 
not  perfectly  clear,  nor  yet  so  cloudy  but  an  outlook 
upon  the  grand  panorama  around  could  generally  be 
obtained  through  the  rifts  which  the  stiff  breeze  was 
constantly  making  in  the  hurrying  clouds. 

There  he  strode  as  one  walking  on  ethereal  heights, 
having  abandoned  the  world  below  as  too  earthy  for  the 
engrossment  of  immortal  mind.  The  rugged  peaks  of  the 
Catskills  were  spread  out  around  him  like  a  sea  of  im 
mense  billows,  which  had  been  petrified  into  solid  masses 
in  some  long  past  geological  age ;  while  now  from  their 
sides  spring  forests  of  deep,  rich  foliage,  separated  into 
terraces  by  massive  r&nd  perpendicular  ledges  of  rock, 
with  almost  the  regularity  of  human  art,  and  with  the 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    OATSKILL8.  5 

grandeur  only  readied  by  the  master  hand  of  Nature. 
The  billowy  peaks  are  separated  by  immense  ravines, 
through  which  tumble  streams  of  water  in  continuous 
cataracts,  anon  receiving  accessions  from  the  mountain 
sides ;  as  if  the  upheaval  of  this  sea  of  rocks  were  again 
melting  into  its  original  liquid,  and  giving  it  back  to 
the  yawning  gorges.  In  just  such  magnificent  confusion 
as  might  be  expected  to  arise  from  a  greatly  agitated 
sea,  lie  the  detached  debris  of  rocks,  which  have  ap 
parently  been  caps  or  fragments  of  billows  broken  off 
from  the  more  gigantic  waves,  and  incontinently  petri 
fied.  Some  immense  boulders  stand  upon  the  end ;  as  if 
the  Titans  of  old  had  engaged  in  the  amusement  of  bal 
ancing  pyramids  upon  the  apex.  Sometimes  two  gigantic 
slabs  will  meet  each  other  at  the  top  at  an  inclination ; 
suggesting  the  thought  that  some  giant  aborigine  had 
made  his  wigwam  by  hurling  two  rocks  together.  Some 
times  a  nicely  chiseled  passage  will  be  found  cut  through 
a  ledge ;  furnishing  for  antiquarians  a  possible  theory  that 
the  pre- Adamite  inhabitants  of  the  country  had  made  cuts 
through  the  solid  rock  for  some  thoroughfare  older  than 
the  Appian  way.  Openings  frequently  appear  in  the 
solid  rock,  forming  rooms  sometimes  shapeless  as  the 
den  of  a  wild  beast,  but  often  of  regular  dimensions, 
having  the  angles  clearly  defined  ;  where,  perhaps,  some 
feudal  Titan  had  chiseled  out  in  the  hard  rock  under  his 
castle  a  gloomy  prison  for  such  of  his  vassals  as  might 
incur  his  displeasure. 

The  flying  clouds  played  around  these  wild  peaks  like 
charging  battalions  of  the  warring  elements,  while  the 
individual  we  have  mentioned,  walked  upon  the  mountain 
crests,  apparently  communing  with  the  objects  of  gran 
deur  around.  I^one  of  the  pigmy  affairs  of  the  lower 
world  seemed  worthy  of  his  attention.  He  spoke,  to  the 
mountain,  and  the  opening  gorge  was  the  mouth  from 
which  came  the  answer.  If  he  felt  human  at  all,  it  was 
as  one  standing  upon  the  very  pinnacles  of  earthly  affairs, 
where  the  terrestrial  and  ethereal  meet ;  where  man  feels 
that  he  has  glimpses  into  the  arcana  of  the  celestial,  and 
anticipates  a  little  of  the  experience  which  he  can  only 
fully  realize  by  mounting  entirely  beyond  the  influence  of 


6  THE   LEECH   CLUB;   OK,   THE 

sublunary  things.  The  rifts  in  the  clouds  revealed  to 
him  the  cultivated  world  below,  and  occasionally  re 
minded  him  that  he  was  human ;  while  the  inexpressible 
coloring  imparted  by  the  sun  to  the  massive,  irregular 
clouds,  which  appeared  almost  blended  with  the  jagged 
mountain  peaks,  caused  the  openings,  with  the  blue  sky 
beyond,  to  appear  like  celestial  gates,  through  which  he, 
favored  of  mortals,  had  the  momentary  pleasure  of  gazing. 
Thus  he  almost  imagined  himself  as  walking  on  clouds ; 
as  holding  converse  with  the  forces  of  nature ;  as  grasping 
both  the  ethereal  and  the  terrestrial ;  which  seemed,  for 
the  moment,  a  state  of  even  greater  bliss  than  that  enjoyed 
by  the  happy  spirits  of  the  departed. 

Such  are  the  inspirations  presented  to  him  who  truly 
appreciates  mountain  scenery. 


CHAPTER  H. 

LOOKING    DOWN   UPON   A  THUNDER-STORM. 

THE  lower  legions  of  clouds,  wearied  with  the  aimless 
marching  and  counter-marching  through  empty  space, 
finally  began  to  marshal  their  forces  into  a  solid  mass, 
evidently  intent  upon  some  enterprise  of  moment.  It 
appeared  as  if  the  standard  which  these  misty  battalions 
all  recognized,  had  been  reared  by  some  commanding 
cloud  ;  and  directly  there  was  a  rushing  for  the  common 
rallying  point.  The  skirmishing  mists  were  called  in ;  the 
light  troops  which  had  been  apparently  acting  as  flying  ve 
dettes,  came  galloping  toward  the  rendezvous ;  the  more 
massive  bodies  of  clouds,  like  outlying  divisions  of  an 
army,  moved  with  a  slower,  firmer,  but  not  less  surer  tread 
toward  the  position  where  the  forces  were  gathering. 

Soon  the  individual  we  have  observed  upon  one  of  the 
lofty  peaks,  found  the  peak  on  which  he  stood,  environed 
by  a  solid  mass  of  black,  angry  clouds.  But  this  mass  was 
several  hundred  feet  below  him.  Above  and  all  around 
the  point  where  he  stood  was  a  cloudless  sky.  Apparently 


MYSTEKIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  7 

the  clouds  which  had  a  short  "time  before  been  flying 
through  space  overhead,  and  all  around,  had  gathered  in 
the  grand  rally  just  beneath  the  feet  of  our  hero.  The 
sun,  which  had  reached  a  point  about  half  way  between 
the  meridian  and  the  horizon,  shone  forth  with  all  the 
splendor  of  noonday  upon  the  peak  where  he  stood,  and 
upon  the  dark  mass  of  clouds  beneath. 

The  view  of  the  lower  world  was  entirely  shut  off  with 
the  exception  of  a  gap  in  the  vast  body  of  dark  clouds. 
This  divided  the  body  much  like  two  contending  armies. 

And  now  the  battle  of  the  elements  commenced.  The 
guns  were  unlimbered,  and  the  thundering  artillery  rolled 
in  deafening  reverberations  through  the  gorges,  ravines 
and  caverns  of  the  mountains.  The  forked  lightning 
darted  across  the  chasm  which  separated  the  two  masses 
of  clouds,  making  them  verily  appear  like  two  battling 
armies  hurling  at  each  other  their  fiery  thunderbolts.  Oc 
casionally  would  be  heard  an  astounding  roar,  as  if  all  the 
batteries  in  both  armies  had  opened  at  once,  or  as  if  a 

figantic  mine  had  been  exploded,  and  a  huge  mountain 
ad  been  blown  to  atoms.  In  addition  to  the  thundering 
explosions,  there  was  heard  a  constant  roar,  as  of  the  fierce 
breathing  of  many  winds,  and  the  mighty  rushing  of  many 
waters.  The  upper  face  of  the  dark  mass  of  clouds,  as 
the  spectator  looked  down  upon  it,  presented  the  surface 
of  a  troubled  sea,  whose  billows  were  splendidly  and 
variously  colored  and  shaded  by  the  bright  sunlight ;  while 
anon  terrific  explosions  would  resound  from  its  uttermost 
depths ;  and  tortuous  streaks  of  lightning  would  dart  over 
the  surface  like  fiery  sea-serpents  chasing  their  prey. 

If  the  spectator  who  stood  above,  contemplating  this 
scene  of  awful  grandeur,  had  before  been  constrained  to 
consider  himself  lifted  above  the  earth  in  standing  upon 
those  peaks,  he  could,  with  a  very  little  additional  stretch 
of  the  imagination,  have  fancied  himself  a  demigod  di 
recting  the  battle  of  the  elements  below ;  if,  indeed,  he 
could  so  far  forget  human  littleness  as  to  conceive  it  capa 
ble  of  commanding  such  supernatural  forces.  The  posi 
tion  was  one  either  to  humiliate  or  elevate  the  beholder. 
If  he  viewed  it  in  terror,  he  could  not  otherwise  than  be 
humbled  into  the  dust.  If  he  embraced  the  scene  as  an 
immortal  spirit  which  had  been  favored  with  a  view  of 


8  THE   LEECH   OLTJB;   OE,    THE 

the  eternal,  such  as  is  deigned  to  few  that  have  not  escaped 
the  clog  of  clay  which  obscures  the  vision  of  the  soul, 
then  he  must  have  been  elated  beyond  expression,  and 
viewed  the  scene  as  an  exhibition  of  the«power  of  which 
he  himself  was  a  component  part — assuming  the  truth  of 
th'e  doctrine  that  man  is  a  spark  from  his  Maker.  Yiew  it 
as  he  would,  the  scene  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten. 

But  our  hero  was  soon  to  be  startled  from  his  contem 
plative  mood,  and  brought  to  a  sense  of  the  realities  of 
his  situation.  The  storm  did  not  long  confine  itself  to 
the  regions  below  the  mountain  peak  where  he  stood. 
Gradually  arising,  the  clouds  soon  enveloped  the  peak, 
and  soon  he  was  drenched  in  the  driving  rain.  No"  shelter 
was  at  hand,  and  amid  the  blinding  storm  he  commenced 
descending  the  peak  toward  the  west. 

The  formation  of  the  Catskill  mountains  is  not  peculi 
arly  favorable  to  a  rapid  and  safe  descent  down  their  sides 
by  a  pedestrian.  The  mountain  side  is  often  composed  of 
a  succession  of  terraces,  each  terrace  bounded  by  a  high, 
rocky  precipice.  Thus  the  traveler,  as  he  attempts  to  de 
scend  the  mountain,  soon  finds  himself  hemmed  off  by  a 
precipice,  that  stops  his  progress.  He  finds  that  he  is  upon 
a  narrow,  natural  terrace  which  he  has  no  alternative  but 
to  follow  until  he  finds  a  break  in  the  rocky  wall.  By 
clambering  down  among  boulders,  catching  to  trees,  shrubs 
and  crags,  he  manages  to  descend  to  the  next  terrace,  again 
to  find  his  further  progress  in  that  direction  barred  by 
another  precipice.  He  is  simply  on  another  terrace,  along 
which  he  must  carefully  thread  his  way,  till  he  comes  to 
another  break  in  the  wall.  How  long  it  will  take  him  to 
descend  the  mountain  in  this  manner  depends  either  on 
his  good  fortune  in  striking  broken  sections  in  the  terrace 
wall,  or  his  knowledge  of  the  locality  of  the  same. 

Our  hero  was  not  acquainted  with  the  mountains. 
He  was  soon  lost  in  the  labyrinth  of  terraces,  and  wan 
dered  about  at  random.  The  blinding  rain  continued  to 
descend  in  torrents,  darkness  set  in,  and  the  situation 
became  alarming.  The  hideous  roar  of  the  thunder  re 
echoing  from  a  thousand  gorges  and  ravines,  the  lurid 
flashes  of  lightning,  momentarily  lighting  up  the  weird 
rocks,  caverns  and  gnarled  trees,  would  have  over 
whelmed  a  less  resolute  heart.  He  had  need  to  tread 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  9 

with  the  utmost  caution,  else  he  would  have  been  dashed 
to  atoms  down  some  awful  precipice.  The  glaring  light 
ning  was  an  agent  of  good,  for  it  served  to  light  his  du 
bious  and  dangerous  path.  "With  calm  fortitude  he  pur 
sued  his  aimless  way ;  the  lightning  like  an  ignis  f atuus 
luring  him  on ;  hopeful  that  he  would  finally  extricate 
himself  from  the  trying  situation. 

SUPERNATURAL  APPEARANCES. 

The  terrors  which  beset  him  were  not  confined  to  the 
belching  thunder,  or  the  danger  of  being  hurled  from  a 
precipice.  Strange  noises  filled  the  intervals  between 
the  rolling  thunder  and  its  echoes.  Whisperings  filled 
the  air ;  figures  which  seemed  to  be  a  compromise  be 
tween  substance  and  the  impalpable  air,  brushed  past 
him,  their  insubstantial  garments  making  the  slightest 
abrasion  against  his  own  apparel.  He  approached  a  nar 
row,  rocky  defile,  through  which  he  must  pass.  As  he 
neared  it,  a  continuous  glare  of  sheet  lightning  illumina 
ted  the  gorge.  There  appeared,  seated  on  the  rocks  on 
either  side  of  the  defile,  a  number  of  figures,  half  man, 
half  demon.  Almost  paralyzed  with  astonishment,  he 
stopped  short,  debating  in  his  mind  whether  to  recede  or 
advance.  The  glare  of  lightning  continued  in  the  most 
unaccountable  manner,  revealing  to  his  vision  the  figures 
in  a  way  that  seemed  conclusive  that  he  could  not  be 
mistaken.  Frantic  with  desperation,  he  hurled  his  walk 
ing  stick  at  one  of  the  figures,  only  a  few  feet  off.  It 
seemed  to  pass  through  the  object  with  no  more  impres 
sion  than  on  empty  space.  Presently  the  glare  of  light 
ning  subsided,  and  nothing  was  to  be  seen.  Accusing 
himself  of  foolishly  imagining  the  presence  of  ghostly 
beings,  he  rushed  forward ;  but  just  as  he  had  gotten 
fully  within  the  gorge,  a  similar,  continuous  glare  of 
lightning  again  revealed  his  ghostly  neighbors ;  this  time 
so  near  that  he  could  have  touched  them  with  his  hand. 
As  he  rushed  forward  through  this  demoniacal  gauntlet, 
a  hollow  laugh  saluted  his  ears  ;  and  he  was  only  too 
glad  that  this  was  drowned  by  a  "rolling  explosion  of 
thunder. 

How  far  he  wandered  among  the  nightly  terrors  of 
the  Catskills,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  It  was  near  mid- 


10  THE   LEECH   CLUB;   OK,    THE 

night  when  the  storm  ceased,  the  sky  became  clear,  and 
the  moon  shone  down  faintly  through  the  openings  in 
the  foliage  of  the  giant  trees*5  Threading  his  way  on 
through  the  mountains,  he  finally  saw  liglits  twinkling 
through  the  trees.  Approaching,  he  came  to  a  brawling 
stream  of  water.  The  volume  of  water  and  swift  run 
ning  current  rendered  the  stream  unfordable,  and  he  fol 
lowed  it  down  till  he  came  in  sight  of  a  building.  A 
short  distance  from  the  edifice  the  stream  parted  into 
two  currents,  commingling  again  below  the  building,  and 
falling  in  a  beautiful  cascade  into  a  small  lake.  The 
building  was  thus  located  on  an  island,  and  as  the  vol 
ume  of  water  in  the  two  streams  was  considerable,  and 
the  current  swift,  the  house  could  only  be  reached  by 
means  of  a  bridge. 

It  was  now  about  midnight,  and  after  the  terrific  or 
deal  through  which  our  hero  had  passed,  it  was  with 
some  trepidation  that  he  approached  this  moated  dwell 
ing,  which  appeared  like  a  castle  in  the  wilderness.  The 
bridge  was  evidently  constructed  as  a  draw,  but  it  was  at 
that  time  in  the  proper  position  for  crossing.  He  felt 
as  if  entering  upon  enchanted  ground  as  he  crossed  the 
threshold  of  the  lonely  precincts.  Had  he  been  super 
stitious,  he  never  would  have  approached  this  dubious 
looking  dwelling  after  the  experiences  of  that  night.  It 
is  true  he  did  not  feel  certain  that  he  might  not  meet 
just  such  strange  beings  as  had  haunted  his  fearful  wan 
derings  in  the  mountains.  After  a  brief  survey  of  the 
premises,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  constructors 
of  this  building  must  have  something  more  than  ghostly 
attributes,  and  chilled  with  the  rain  and  exhausted  by 
his  wanderings,  he  determined  to  see  if  the  inmates  pos 
sessed  human  hospitalities.  Drawing  near  to  the  build 
ing  he  heard  music,  and  this  rather  reassured  him ;  for 
he  reasoned  that  evil  spirits  do  not  cultivate  such  re 
fining  arts,  and  that  men  who  do  so,  must  have  consider 
able  humanity  still  left  in  them. 

Approaching  the  door,  he  raised  a  huge  knocker,  which 
descending  on  the  plate,  caused  the  mountain  dells  around 
to  echo,  and  called  forth  growls  and  barking  from  sev 
eral  unseen  dogs  about  the  premises.  He  was  admitted. 
And  what  was  his  astonishment  to  be  ushered  into  a  spa- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  11 

eious,  finely-furnished  room,  and  a  large  company  of 
gaily-dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen  !  At  one  end  of  the 
,room  was  stationed  a  band  of  musicians,  while  several 
sets  of  dancers  were  on  the  floor,  either  having  been  en 
gaged  in  a  quadrille,  or  just  about  to  commence  one. 
The  entrance  of  the  stranger  brought  matters  to  a  halt, 
and  all  gathered  around  to  view  this  visitor  from  the 
outward  realms  of  night.  Our  hero's  clothes  were  drip 
ping  with  wet,  and  his  countenance  wore  an  anxious,  but 
not  terrified  expression.  Some  brief  questions  followed ; 
to  which  he  answered  that  he  had  accidentally  gotten 
lost  in  the  mountains.  He  was  puzzled  beyond  expres 
sion  at  finding  such  a  dwelling  and  such  a  company 
there  ;  but  restraining  his  curiosity,  he  was  conducted  to 
a  room  where  a  wood  fire  was  speedily  started  in  a  fire 
place.  Refreshments  were  placed  before  him  ;  after 
partaking  of  which,  and  drying  himself  by  the  fire,  he 
was  shown  to  a  sleeping  apartment.  Having  thus  dis 
posed  of  our  hero,  after  a  troublous  night,  such  as  sel 
dom  falls  to  the  lot  of  mortals,  we  will  return  to  the  com 
pany  in  the  large  parlor. 

The  dancers  had  seemingly  given  up  their  festivities, 
and  were  gathered  in  groups  discussing  the  apparition  of 
the  stranger  at  such  an  unseasonable  hour.  J3y  observ 
ing  their  conversation  we  may  gather  something  respect 
ing  their  quality,  and  the  cause  of  their  being  assembled 
in  this  singular  locality.  The  appearance  of  the  com 
pany,  viewed  in  comparison  with  the  surrounding  con 
comitants,  was  enough  to  excite  the  amazement,  if  not 
superstition,  of  any  one  who  had  not  forgotten  the  fairy 
tales  of  the  nursery,  learned  in  childhood.  Amid  the 
surrounding  poverty  of  rocks,  forests  and  mountain 
gorges,  whence  those  costly  toilets,  those  sparkling  dia 
monds,  glittering  jewelry,  and  rich  attire  of  every  de 
scription  ?  The  rooms,  too,  were  furnished  with  a  gor- 
geousness  that  immeasurably  belied  the  situation.  The 
parlors  of  no  merchant  prince  in  the  distant  city  could 
outdo  those  of  this  forest  palace  in  superfluous  richness. 

Were  the  house  and  furniture  a  solid  reality,  and  the 
festive  throng,  persons  of  real  flesh  and  blood  ?  or  were 
the  building  and  its  garniture  but  the  conjuration  of  the 
ruling  genius  of  the  mountains,  and  the  gaily-bedecked 


12  THE   LEECH   CLUB;   OK,    THE 

semblances  of  men  and  women,  the  airy  genii,  who  had 
so  greatly  frightened  our  hero  in  his  nightly  meander- 
ings,  and  now  gathered  in  a  fairy  palace  to  entertain,  af-^ 
ter  having  so  sorely  persecuted  him  ?     Such  freaks  are* 
not  inconsistent  with  the  genii  of  the  story  books.     But, 
having  exhausted  all  conjectures  without  arriving  at  any 
conclusion,  we  will  listen  to  the  conversation  of  the  genii, 
and  see  if  we  can  gather  anything  more  tangible  from 
that.     First  speaks  a  gorgeous  looking  fairy,  who  might 
have  been  taken  for  Titania,  the  queen  of  her  tribe : 

"  Isn't  it  curious !  I  do  believe  that  strange  man  has 
been  rained  down  in  the  shower,  or  shot  from  the  clouds 
in  one  of  those  awful  claps  of  thunder !" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Mrs.  Grandola," — answered  a  masculine 
geniuf  arrayed  in  immense  gorgeousness,  suggestive  of  the 
idea  that  he  might  be  Oberon,  king  of  the  fairies, — "  yes, 
indeed,  Mrs.  Grandola,  the  stranger  looked  as  scared  as  if 
he  had  either  fallen  from  a  cloud  or  been  interviewed  by 
some  of  those  goblins  of  the  Catskills  that  we  hear  so  much 
about." 

"  Nonsense,  Mr.  Swellup!  I  don't  believe  one  word  of 
these  idle  stories." 

"  But,"  struck  in  a  spruce  little  masculine  fairy,  who 
might  have  been  Puck,  "  if  you  should  have  such  ocular 
demonstration  as  I  had  in  these  mountains  one  night,  I 
warrant  you  would  change  your  opinion." 

"  Poh  !  Mr.  Flitaway,  ever  since  you  were  before  that 
investigating  committee  in  regard  to  that  little  matter  of 
a  hundred  thousand  which  your  biU  for  stationery  is  said 
to  have  been  '  raised,'  you  have  been  haunted  by  accusing 
ghosts." 

"  I  think,  now,  Mrs.  Grandola,"  said  a  young  man  with 
diamond  rings  and  enormous  fob,  "  you  have  hit  the  nail 
on  the  head.  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  this  scared 
looking  stranger  is  an  agent  of  one  of  those  pestiferous 
investigating  committees,  sent  here  to  spy  out  our  Club 
House,  and  gather  what  information  he  can,  to  be  used 
against  us  by  our  persecutors." 

"  If  I  thought  he  was,"  said  another,  "  I  would  give 
him  to  the  pet  wolf  out  there  in  the  cage  for  a  collation." 

"  Isn't  it  a  burning  shame,"  said  a  young  lady,  loaded 
with  jewelry,  and  so  encumbered  with  trailing  laces  that 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  13 

what  little  humanity  was  visible,  appeared  rather  like  an 
ornamented  wax  figure  accidentally  dropped  into  a  con 
fused  mass  of  rich  dry  goods,— "  isn't  it  a  burning  shame 
that  people  cannot  enjoy  the  elegancies  of  life  purchased 
by  their  own  money  without  being  hunted  by  these  hounds, 
who  are  only  jealous  because  they  have  not  the  means  to 
live  in  as  good  style  as  some  of  their  neighbors !" 

"Ah !  Miss  Gossamer,"  said  a  yoimg  fellow  in  a  banter 
ing  tone,  "  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
ownership  of  the  fine  things  you  speak  of.  A  good  many 
are  of  the  opinion  that  a  thousand  yards  or  so  of  that 
variety  store  you  carry  about  with  you,  belong  to  the  tax 
payers." 

"And,"  retorted  Miss  Gossamer,  "  how  much  would  be 
left  of  you,  your  fob-chains,  diamond  rings  and  exquisite 
tailoring,  if  the  tax  payers  had  their  dues  ?" 

"  Tut,  tut !"  broke  in  Mr.  Swellup,  "  remember  the  old 
proverb,  '  when  certain  persons  fall  out  among  themselves, 
certain  other  persons  get  their  dues ';  in  which  case  we 
might  all  lose  what  we  possess." 

"  Indeed,  Mr.  Swellup,"  said  Mrs.  Grandola,  "  you  speak 
just  as  if  there  was  truth  in  the  hue  and  cry  that  is  made 
about  our  getting  our  money  wrongfully  from  the  public 
funds." 

"  Oh !  no,  Mrs.  Grandola,  I  was  only  talking  from  the 
standpoint  assumed  by  this  young  lady  and  gentleman." 

"And  I,"  said  the  young  gentleman  alluded  to,  "  was 
only  giving  Miss  Gossamer  a  delicate  compliment  on  her 
magnificent  toilet." 

"And  I,"  said  Miss*Gossamer,  "  only  intended  to  show 
my  friend  that  I  appreciated  a  compliment  coming  from 
so  profound  a  source." 

The  conversation  continued  in  a  similar  strain  for  a  con 
siderable  time,  when  this  unique  assemblage  began  to  drop 
away  by  ones  and  twos.  Whatever  opinion  the  reader  may 
have  formed  in  regard  to  the  supernatural  appearances 
which  our  hero  encountered  in  his  nocturnal  wanderings, 
he  has  doubtless  ere  this  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
inhabitants  of  this  strange  dwelling  were  not  of  a  ghostly 
nature ;  and  that  when  they  left  the  brilliant  parlors,  they 
did  not  disappear  through  solid  walls  of  rock  or  incon 
ceivably  narrow  crevices  into  the  caves  of  the  mountains ; 


14  THE    LEECH    CLUB;    OR,   THE 

nor  flit  away  in  volatile  bodies  into  the  air,  and  take  up 
their  residences  on  shining  clouds  to  catch  the  first  bril 
liant  rays  of  the  orb  of  day  as  he  imparts  the  glorious 
tints  to  the  clouds  and  mountain  peaks.  Not  they,  indeed. 
They  were  rather  of  the  earth,  earthy,  and  when  they  left 
the  banqueting  halls,  it  was  only  to  retire  to  their  sleeping 
apartments  in  the  castellated  building,  that  they  might 
acquire  new  strength  to  pursue  their  festive  rounds,  and 
consume  the  substance  of  the  land ;  on  which  they  feed 
like  a  school  of  leeches. 


CHAPTER  m. 

HORACE     LACKFATHE. 

WE  must  leave  our  hero  to  his  dreams  or  meditations 
in  the  strange  domicile,  and  go  to  his  native  place,  and 
see  what  we  can  learn  of  his  history.  Horace  Lackfathe, 
whom  we  have  followed  through  a  night  of  wild  adven 
ture  into  what  must  have  appeared  to  him  as  the  castle  of 
demons  or  fairies,  was  born  in  a  small  village  in  a  neigh 
boring  State.  Though  born  poor,  he  had  managed,  by  his 
own  exertions,  to  obtain  a  good  education.  He  had  de 
veloped  talent  of  no  ordinary  degree,  and  having  chosen 
the  legal  profession,  bid  fair  to  arise  to  eminence.  He  had 
already  obtained  considerable  distinction  in  his  own  town, 
was  valued  and  even  courted  by  the  community  as  a  rising 
young  man  of  higfh  moral  principle.  He,  for  a  time,  felt 
flattered  and  gratified  at  the  consideration  and  success  lie 
had  achieved,  and  was  stimulated  thereby  to  exertion  to 
rise  still  higher  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow-men.  Many 
had  already  predicted  that  he  one  day  would  occupy  hign 
places  in  private  or  official  life. 

But  after  a  few  years  there  was,  if  not  a  falling  off,  at 
least  a  stay  of  progress  on  the  part  of  Horace  Lackfathe. 
He  did  not  advance  to  that  position  which  had  been  pre 
dicted  for  him.  He  seemed^  after  having  reached  a  cer 
tain  point,  to  be  content  with  mediocrity.  Not  that  his 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  15 

talents  or  abilities  had  been  overrated.  There  was  in  him 
the  germ  of  greatness ;  but  for  some  reason  he  failed,  ne 
glected,  or  did  not  care  to  develop  it.  He  did  not  depre 
ciate  in  the  respect  of  his  fellow-citizens,  for  he  was  a  man. 
of  high  moral  tone.  He  only  disappointed  those  who 
knew  how  great  a  mind  he  possessed. 

The  trouble  was,  Horace  Lackfathe  had  formed  in  his 
own  mind  too  high  a  standard  of  the  excellence  of  man 
kind.  He  had  conceived  the  average  human  being  to  be 
actuated  chiefly  by  principles  of  honor  and  magnanimity. 
Selfishness,  moral  obliquity,  and  unscrupulousness  in 
adapting  the  means  to  the  end,  were  the  exceptions  in  the 
Utopian  world  in  which  he  lived.  A  natural  and  intui 
tive  disposition  to  live  uprightly,  and  deal  guilelessly,  was 
the  attribute  of  the  man  of  his  conception.  He  did  not 
believe  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  business  world 
were  a  set  of  over-reaching  tricksters,  who  consider  it  the 
height  of  business  acumen  to  get  the  best  of  their  neigh 
bors  in  a  sharp  bargain ;  he  did  not  believe  that  the  aver 
age  practitioners  in  his  own  profession  thought  it  the  re 
finement  of  legal  finesse  to  carry  their  points  by  making 
that  seem  true  which  they  knew  to  be  false,  and  distorting 
the  law  and  rendering  it  abortive ;  he  did  not  believe  that 
the  average  politicians  regarded  everything,  no  matter  how 
disreputable,  as  "  fair  in  politics ;"  he  did  not  believe  that 
the  statesmanship  of  the  world  was  a  refined  system  of 
chicanery,  and  that  statesmen  were  a  lot  of  high-toned 
gamblers,  who  would  not  hesitate  to  steal  the  trump-card, 
if  it  were  necessary  to  carry  their  points ;  in  short,  he  did 
not  believe  that  all  men  were  naturally  dissemblers. 

And  women,  he  regarded  as  possessing  all  the  magna 
nimous  traits  of  men,  without  the  angular  points  of  char 
acter  which  the  sterner  business  of  the  world  gives  to  men. 
If  he  regarded  men  as  diamonds  whose  sharp  corners  had 
not  been  rounded  off,  he  regarded  women  as  polished 
jewels.  He  would  as  soon  have  suspected  that  the  sun 
might  rise  some  morning  divested  of  its  power  to  give 
forth  light  and  heat,  as  to  have  supposed  that  the  average 
woman  could  be  anything  else  but  virtuous.  To  his  ex 
aggerated  standard  of  estimation,  woman  was  all  he  had 
conceived  man  to  be,  besides  ''possessing  the  softness,  the 


16  THE   LEECH    CLUB  ;    OR,    THE 

spotless  virtue,  .the  angelic  love,  attributed  to  the  sex  by 
the  most  imaginative  and  eulogistic  poets. 

While  he  looked  upon  humanity  as  so  high-toned,  he 
labored  to  achieXTe  the  admiration  and  respect  of  mankind 
as  the  greatest  of  human  attainments.  And  here,  had  he 
stopped  to  think,  was  a  refutation  of  the  high  estimation 
he  had  formed  of  human  nature,  in  himself.  For  was 
not  this  very  anxiety  to  gain  applause  and  esteem  for 
himself,  a  selfishness  on  his  part  that  he  did  not  believe 
existed  to  a  large  extent  among  men  ?  Had  mankind  been 
as  good  as  the  standard  which  he  had  formed,  he  would 
have  had  little  thought  of  the  admiration  and  respect  that 
he  himself  might  win.  He  would  have  thought  only 
how  he  might  contribute  to  the  general  welfare,  and  the 
idea  of  gaining  applause  and  esteem  for  himself  would 
never  have  entered  his  mind.  It  is  true  that  the  admi 
ration  and  respect  which  he  thought  of  gaining,  was 
that  which  is  obtained  by  good  actions  which  benefit  hu 
manity  ;  but  still  this  very  desire  for  good  opinions  should 
have  been  proof  to  him  of  the  inherent  selfishness  of 
human  nature,  and  should  have  taught  him  that  he  had 
formed  a  false  notion  thereof,  and  set  his  standard  too 
high.  He  had  an  estimation  so  hyperborean  that  a  dis 
covery  of  its  falsity  was  likely  to  place  humanity  entirely 
without  the  pale  of  his  sympathy,  and  render  him  utterly 
regardless  of  making  further  effort  to  win  the  applause  of 
mankind  by  improving  his  usefulness. 

While  he  regarded  human  nature  so  highly,  the  ap 
plause  and  respect  of  men  and  women  were  things  worth 
working  for,  from  sunrise  till  the  waning  hours  told  the 
approach  of  another  day.  To  feel  that  he  had  the 
esteem  and  admiration  of  his  fellow-citizens  was  much 
more  satisfactory  to  him  than  to  fill  coffers  with  gold. 
Kor  was  he  insensible  to  the  influence  of  the  softer  pas 
sions  inspired  by  the  sex  he  respected  so  highly.  An  es 
timable  young  woman,  from  the  distant  city,  who  was  in 
the  habit  of  spending  her  summers  in  the  village  where 
Horace  Lackfathe  resided,  had  enkindled  in  his  heart  a 
passion  stronger  than  his  desire  for  fame.  And  she, 
knowing  the  consideration  in  which  he  was  held  in  his 
native  village,  was  proud  of  his  attentions.  She  was 
understood  to  be  a  teacher,  who  sought  recreation  during 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  17 

the  summer  vacation  in  the  pure  a'tmospliere  of  the  hills 
and  meadows  adjacent  to  tne  village.  Thus  the  condi 
tions  of  the  two  were  apparently  not  dissimilar,  and  they 
were  evidently  well  suited  to  each  otHer.  Miss  Charity 
Faithful  was  doubtless  destined  to  become  Mrs.  Lackf athe. 
Horace  Lackf  athe  had  not  mingled  enough  with  men. 
He  had  lived  too  much  in  the  ideal  world  of  books,  and 
his  own  enthusiastic  thoughts.  This,  combined  with  a 
peculiar  temperament,  rendered  him  a  hyperborean  being, 
different  in  a  measure  from  those  around.  He  could 
comprehend  only  the  better  part  of  human  nature,  and 
looked  upon  all  deviations  from  his  standard  simply  as 
monstrosities,  which  were  the  exceptions  to  the  general 
rule ;  just  as  he  would  view  an  unusual  visitation  of  frost 
in  mid-summer.  So  long  as  his  intercourse  with  the 
world  only  occasionally  brought  him  in  contact  with  an 
individual  who  did  not  come  up  to  his  standard,  he  con 
sidered  it  merely  as  one  of  those  exceptional  cases  which 
are  to  be  met  with  in  everything. 

A  change  came  over  him ;  and  from  the  most  elevated 
opinion  of  mankind,  he  fell  into  the  very  opposite  ex 
treme  of  regarding   them    with    universal    distrust.     It 
might  truly  be  said  that  he  had  no  faith  at  all  in  the  race. 
Nor  was  this  want  of  faith  in  others  attended  by  a  sort 
of  self-righteousness  on  his  part.     Looking  around  upon 
the  numerous  temptations  in  which  men  fell — defaulting 
cashiers,  merchants  swindling  their  creditors,  politician* 
resorting  to  open  and  shameless   corruption,   statesmen 
stooping  to  tricks  which  he  thought  confined  to  the  gam 
bling  dens,  faithless  husbands  and  wives, — he  began  to 
doubt  whether  there  was  a  spark  of  real  honor  in  human 
nature,  and  distrusted  himself  with  the  rest.     He  thought 
that,  perhaps,  he  might  also  be  led  to  give  way  to  tempta 
tion,  were  ne  placed  in  certain  situations.     He  began  to 
be  of  the  opinion  that  nothing  but  the  most  severe  dis 
cipline  could  reform  mankind,  and  that  none  but  those 
who  laid  down  for  themselves  a  stern  code  of  morality, 
and  stuck  to  it  rigidly,  could  escape  the  common  demoral 
ization. 

The  change  had  not  come  suddenly  over  Horace  Lack- 
fathe.  The  war  of  the  Rebellion  was  the  first  rude  shock 
to  his  finely  organized  sensibilities.  He  was  confounded 


18  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

that  men  were  bad  enough  to  attempt  the  overthrow  of 
the  Republic  which  he  adored.  Then  the  demoralization 
which  attends  all  wars  still  further  lessened  his  faith  in 
human  nature.  The  corruption  that  will  always  follow 
in  the  handling  of  large  sums  of  money,  and  the  execu 
tion  of  herculean  contracts,  revealed  the  worst  shade  of 
human  nature  in  its  unspeakable  deformity.  The  states 
manship  of  the  world  was  also  illustrated  in  its  hypocrisy, 
selfishness,  and  time-serving  expedients.  The  veil  was 
rudely  torn  from  wliat  he  supposed  to  be  the  angelic 
nature  of  women  and  the  unswerving  morality  of  men. 
Wives  whose  husbands  had  gone  to  fight  the  battles  of 
their  country  were  often  found  faithless  to  their  marriage 
vows,  and  husbands  who  had  gotten  beyond  the  influence 
of  their  family  circles  frequently  forgot  that  they  owed 
allegiance  to  the  one  who  presided  over  their  distant 
homes. 

The  rude  world  to  which  Horace  Lackfathe  had  just 
wakened  up,  was  not  the  Utopian  one  of  his  day  dreams. 
It  was  not  the  world  that  had  inspired  his  aims  to  gain 
its  good  opinion  and  high  consideration.  He  was  grad 
ually  coming  to  regard  its  good  opinion  as  scarcely 
worth  laboring  for,  and  consequently  his  exertions  slack 
ened.  To  him,  now,  the  high  opinion  of  men  in  general 
seemed  nothing  more  than  the  applause  of  a  demoralized 
crowd  given  over  to  moral  perdition ;  the  consideration 
of  statesmen  and  men  of  high  degree  seemed  but  the  ap 
probation  of  the  aristocracy  of  transgressors ;  the  admi 
ration  of  women  seemed  but  the  flattery  of  those  in 
whose  virtue  he  had  been  deceived.  So  he  almost  ceased 
his  efforts  to  -build  himself  up  in  the  estimation  of  such 
a  world,  and  thus  his  talents,  which  were  of  the  first 
order,  were  allowed  to  remain  in  abeyance.  He  still, 
however,  continued  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  position 
in  a  correct  and  upright  manner. 

At  the  date  we  introduced  him  to  the  reader  in  his 
strange  adventure  in  the  Catskill  mountains,  it  was  some 
time  after  the  close  of  the  Rebellion,  when  he  was  some 
thing  over  thirty  years  of  age  ;  and  as  subsequent  events 
will  show,  he  had  not  by  any  means  improved  in  his  esti 
mation  of  his  fellow-men.  And,  indeed,  if  he  took  pub 
lic  men  as  the  standard  of  human  excellence,  he  had  little 


MY8TEKIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  19 

reason  to  think  the  race  had  improved  since  the  begin 
ning  of  the  war. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

THE     LEECH     CLUB. 

SOME  days  after  the  adventure  of  Horace  Lackfathe  in 
the  Catskills,  a  company  was  gathered  in  a  richly  fur 
nished  parlor  in  a  neighboring  city.  The  appearance  and 
surroundings  of  this  company  rather  betokened  super 
fluous  riches  than  refinement.  The  parlors,  though  fur 
nished  to  profusion,  presented  a  tawdry  rather  than  a 
beautiful  appearance.  Costly  furniture  was  incongru 
ously  thrown  together  without  that  nice  display  of  taste 
usually  shown  by  people  who  have  learned  to  appreciate 
such  elegancies,  and  arrange  them  with  a  view  to  har 
mony.  The  dress  and  physiognomy  of  the  company 
seemed  as  much  out  of  character  as  the  rooms  and  furni 
ture.  There  was  a  superfluity  of  diamonds,  jewelry,  rich 
clothes,  silks,  laces,  etc. ;  apparently  donned  by  the  wear 
ers  in  order  to  get  on  their  persons  as  much  as  possible 
of  the  finery  01  the  day,  because  they  had  the  money  to 
pay  for  it — and  having  but  one  life  to  live,  desired  to 
enjoy  as  much  of  their  riches  as  possible.  The  carriage 
and  presence  of  these  people  might  have  led  a  stranger 
to  suspect  that  the  attaches  of  the  kitchen  of  the  estab 
lishment  had,  in  the  absence  of  the  real  owners  thereof, 
loaded  themselves  incongruously  with  the  fine  apparel  of 
their  masters,  and  were  playing  at  gentleman  and  lady 
in  the  parlors  for  a  short  time.  Nevertheless,  there  were 
present  several  high  officials,  including  a  member  of  Con 
gress  and  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature.  We  shall 
find  there  are  some  here  whose  acquaintance  we  briefly 
made  in  that  mysterious  mansion  in  the  Catskills.  Mr. 
Swellup,  addressing  the  Congressman,  said : 

"  Mr.  Longterm,  now  that  Congress  has  adjourned,  and 
you  have  honored  the  Leech  Club  with  a  few  days'  resi 
dence  at  their  rooms  in  the  City,  I  hope  you  will  also  al- 


20  THE   LEECH    CLUB ;    OR,   THE 

low  us  the  pleasure  of  your  company  for  a  longer  stay  at 
our  Club  House  in  the  Catskills." 

"  Indeed,  I  was  not  aware  that  you  had  a  Club  House 
in  the  Catskills.  Something  rustic,  I  suppose  ?  not  on 
such  a  magnificent  scale  as  your  Club  House  in  the  City  ?" 

"  Well,  not  quite  ;  but  it  is  not  a  poverty-stricken  man 
sion,  I  can  tell  you.  It  is  built  of  the  native  stone  of 
the  mountains,  but  the  inside  finishing  and  furniture  are 
as  good  as  this  very  building  we  are  now  in.  It  is  in  a 
secluded  valley,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  swift  run 
ning  stream  01  water,  which,  for  a  novelty,  is  crossed  by  a 
drawbridge,  so  as  to  remind  us  somewhat  of  the  habita 
tions  of  the  old  feudal  barons.  There  is  good  fishing  in 
the  streams,  and  the  mountain  forests  are  not  destitute 
of  game.  Bears,  and  even  occasionally  a  panther,  are 
found." 

"  And,"  said  Mr.  Flitaway,  "  there  are  other  means  of 
excitement  besides  the  bears  and  panthers.  And  our 
stone  building  with  its  iron  doors  and  shutters,  and  iron 
roof,  and  drawbridge,  affords  us  other  satisfaction  than 
that  of  imagining  ourselves  in  a  feudal  castle.  Some  of 
the  strangest  noises  and  sights  are  sometimes  heard  and 
seen  in  those  mountains.  Some  believe  that  the  moun 
tains  are  a  favorite  haunt  of  spirits,  while  others  believe 
that  they  are  infested  by  a  gang  of  robbers  or  counter 
feiters,  who  get  up  supernatural  appearances  in  order  to 
frighten  people  from  frequenting  the  mountains,  and  so 
disturbing  them  in  the  pursuit  of  their  vocation.  Fig 
ures  resembling  men  have  been  seen  to  disappear  in  the 
face  of  a  solid  ledge  of  rock,  where,  upon  examination, 
no  aperture  except  a  mere  seam  could  be  found.  Some, 
who  are  not  superstitious,  but  have  witnessed  with  their 
own  eyes  this  unaccountable  disappearance  of  what 
looked  like  men,  into  the  solid  rock,  try  to  explain  it  on 
the  supposition  that  there  is  a  gang  of  men  who  have 
caves  in  the  rocks,  and  have  some  powerful  machinery 
within  by  which  they  can  raise  a  large  rock  which  forms 
the  door  of  the  cave,  into  which  they  quickly  retire, 
when  the  great  door  is  suddenly  closed.  For  my  part, 
I  think  it  requires  greater  faith  to  believe  this  theory 
than  to  believe  that  the  mysterious  figures  are  supernat 
ural  beings." 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  21 

"  Indeed,"  said  Mr.  Longterm,  "  you  have  excited  my 
curiosity  so  that  I  shall  certainly  accept  your  invitation 
to  visit  this  wonderful  region.  With  angling  for  trout, 
hunting  bears,  and  hob-nobbing  with  ghosts,  1  doubt  not 
that  I  shall  be  able  to  kill  time  for  a  week  or  two.  But 
if  I  should  get  worsted  in  an  argument  with  the  ghostly 
crew,  andjbe  compelled  to  retreat  into  the  castle,  I  fear 
that  your  drawbridge,  and  iron  doors  and  shutters,  will 
be  but  a  poor  protection  against  those  spirits,  who  go 
right  into  the  solid  rock." 

"  As  to  that,  whatever  these  apparitions  are,  ghosts  or 
men,  they  have  never  yet  made  their  appearance  inside 
oi  our  Club  House,  nor  even  across  the  drawbridge." 

"  Perhaps  you  keep  the  draw  open,  and  these  ghosts, 
like  cats,  may  not  like  to  wet  their  feet  by  wading  the 
stream,"  suggested  Mr.  Longterm. 

"Indeed,"  said  Miss  Gossamer,  "you  won't  be  so 
much  disposed  to  jest  about  this  matter  if  you  encounter 
these  demons  in  the  mountains  on  some  moonlight  even 
ing.  Only  a  short  time  before  we  left,  a  stranger  got  be 
nighted  in  the  mountains  in  one  of  those  terrible  thun 
der  storms,  and  by  some  means  straggled  upon  the  Club 
House ;  and  when  he  entered  he  looked  as  though  he  had 
just  had  a  tilt  with  the  Evil  One.  We  have  since  found 
out  that  he  saw  strange  things  in  the  mountains." 

"And,"  said  Mr.  Swellup,  "this  stranger,  who  gave 
his  name  as  Horace  Lackfathe,  i«  about  as  much  of  a 
puzzle  to  me  as  the  ghosts.  He  claims  to  be  a  lawyer 
by  profession,  and  says  he  came  out  into  the  mountains 
for  the  improvement  of  his  health.  He  is  a  man  of  good 
education ;  and  we  have  prevailed  on  him  to  remain  with 
us  during  the  summer  and  teach  the  children  of  some 
members  of  the  Club,  who  don't  care  to  have  them  lose 
too  much  time  from  their  studies." 

"  Just  the  thing,"  said  Mr.  Longterm.  "  My  two  boys 
are  preparing  for  college,  and  want  to  improve  their 
time." 

"  And,"  said  Mrs.  Grandola,  "  he  can  introduce  you 
to  the  demons,  as  I  don't  doubt  but  he  is  a  relation  of 
theirs." 

.  Mr.    Longterm   smiled,  and  then  *  remarked    to   Mr. 
Swellup :  "By  the  way,  I  judge  by  the  number  of  splen- 


22  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

did  establishments  kept  up  by  the  Leech  Club,  that  it  is 
more  profitable  to  be  a  municipal  officer  or  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  than  a  member  of  Congress ;  as  the  mem 
bers  of  your  Club  are  mostly  city  officials,  or  connected 
with  the  State  Government." 

"  In  that  you  are  right,"  said  Mr.  Swellup.  "  I  had 
much  rather  be  an  Alderman  or  a  member  01  the  Legis 
lature  than  to  be  a  United  States  Senator." 

"  But  the  pay  is  not  so  large." 

"  Oh !  no ;  but  there  are  perquisites  that  more  than 
make  up  the  difference;  as  you  can  judge  from  the  fact 
that  the  members  of  the  Leech  Club  have  nearly  all 
amassed  large  fortunes  from  their  official  positions."  » 

"  And  what  are  these  perquisites,  pray  ?" 

"  One  large  item  is  for  legal  services. 

"  But  you  are  not  all  lawyers  ?" 

"  Oh !  no,  a  man  can  act  as  attorney  for  another  with 
out  being  a  lawyer.  For  instance,"  continued  Mr. 
Swellup,  "  in  the  city  there  are  large  contracts  to  be  put 
out  on  the  various  public  works.  It  is  a  very  simple  mat 
ter  for  a  man  to  act  as  attorney  for  any  one  who  wants  to 
get  a  contract.  The  profits  are  generally  good  on  such 
work,  and  the  contractor  can  afford  to  pay  an  Alderman 
liberally  for  acting  as  his  attorney  in  obtaining  for  him 
the  job.  Why,  I  have  known  a  contractor  to  realize  a 
profit  of  $50,000  on  a  small  job  of  cleaning  two  or 
three  streets  for  six  months.  Of  this  sum  about  $40,000 
goes  to  the  Alderman  or  other  official  who  acts  as  attor 
ney,  and  the  contractor  gets  the  balance.  I  have  known 
an  official  to  make  $10,000  for  legal  services  for  a  con 
tractor  just  for  the  plastering  of  one  room  in  a  public 
building.  The  contractor's  whole  profits  on  such  a  job 
would  probably  be  about  $15,000,  he  making  $5,000,  and 
the  city  official  getting  $10,000  for  legal  services.  On 
the  larger  contracts,  such  as  the  opening  of  streets,  the 
improvement  of  parks,  and  the  erection  of  large  public 
buildings,  I  have  known  the  profits  to  run  up  into  the 
hundreds  of  thousands,  and  even  millions,  on  a  single 
job.  Invariably  the  official  who  acts  as  attorney  for  the 
contractor  gets  much  the  larger  portion  of  the  profits,  as 
he  should,  for  without  his  influence  the  contractor  never 
could  have  obtained  the  job.  So  it  is  on  all  public 


MTSTEEIE8    OF   THE   CAT8KILL8.  23 

works.  The  contractors  must  have  attorneys  to  -look 
after  their  interests ;  and  who  can  better  act  as  such 
attorney  than  those  who  have  positions  in  the  City  Gov 
ernment  ?  ? 

"As  to  members  of  the  Legislature,  they  also  have  ex 
cellent  opportunities  to  make  good  fees  by  acting  as  at 
torneys.  Railroad  companies  and  other  powerful  corpora 
tions  have  bills  which  they  desire  passed.  It  is  very 
necessary  to  have  attorneys  to  look  after  such  things.  Cer 
tainly,  no  man  is  better  qualified  for  acting  as  attorney  in 
getting  a  bill  passed  than  a  member  of  the  Legisla 
ture.  Railroad  and  other  large  corporations  are  in 
fact  the  real  Government  of  the  country.  If  a  man 
wants  to  be  elected  to  the  Legislature,  he  has  need 
of  the  aid  of  any  railroad  corporation  that  may  be 
in  his  district.  The  railroad  corporations  actually 
choose  legislative  and  executive  officers  ;  and  these 
officials  may  in  reality  consider  themselves  elected  as  the 
attorneys  of  these  companies.  Therefore,  the  most  of 
men  when  they  go  to  the  Legislature  are  engaged  before 
hand  as  the  attorneys  of  railroads  and  other  rich  corpora 
tions,  and  it  is  their  bounden  duty  to  act  as  such.  But 
while  the  legislators  are  the  legal  servants  of  these  cor 
porations,  even  though  the  latter  did  not  pay  them  an 
other  dollar  after  aiding  in  their  election,  the  companies 
always  pay  the  members  of  the  Legislature  liberally  for 
legal  services  every  time  they  want  a  bill  passed.  There 
is  nothing  mean  about  these  rich  corporations.  I  tell  you, 
sir,  the  railroads  are  the  ruling  power  in  the  country,  and 
wre  might  as  well  admit  it  first  as  last.  There  is  not  half 
the  ability  manifested  in  our  State  Government  as  in  some 
railroad  corporations  that  I  could  name.  I  sometimes 
think  it  is  hardly  necessary  for  the  Legislature  to  meet  at 
all,  for  it  generally  but  registers  the  decrees  of  the  rail 
road  corporations. 

"  "Why  not  let  the  Presidents  of  the  railroads  get  to 
gether,  and  say  what  they  want,  and  let  the  legislators  stay 
at  home  ?  The  country  would  save  money  by  it ;  for  it 
has  to  pay  the  expense  of  getting  the  Legislature  together 
to  do  what  the  railroads  require,  and  the  latter  have  to  pay 
legal  fees  to  the  members ;  and  then  the  companies  are 
obliged  to  charge  the  public  higher  for  fares  and  freights 


24  THE   LEECH    CLUB ;    OB,    THE 

in  order  to  make  up  for  the  expense  of  legislation.  I  tell 
you,  sir,  if  you  would  just  let  the  railroads  and  other  rich 
corporations  take  the  vjrovernment  in  hand,  they  would 
run  it  with  less  expense  than  it  is  administered  at  present. 
Nor  would  the  members  of  the  Legislature  be  turned 
loose  upon  the  world,  without  employment  or  support. 
They  could  be  engaged  at  a  liberal  compensation  to  help 
take  charge  of  the  railroads." 

Thus  spoke  this  model  statesman,  Mr.  Swellup.  To 
such  a  venal  pass  had  the  politicians  of  his  school  come, 
that  they  talked  among  themselves  of  the  most  outrageous 
acts  of  public  robbery  and  corruption,  as  unblushingly  as  if 
they  were  the  most  legitimate  business  affairs  of  life. 
Surrounded  there  in  his  own  parlors  by  every  luxury 
which  his  uncultivated  taste  and  ill-gotten  wealth  could 
procure,  with  the  exception  of  a  certain  low  shrewdness, 
lie  possessed  no  intellectual  advantages  over  the  obscure 
rabble  from  which  he  emerged  only  a  few  years  ago. 
Destitute  of  all  sense  of  public  propriety,  this  man  was  at 
the  head  of  a  political  faction  which  controlled  a  large 
State.  The  shameless  acts  of  this  clique  were,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  of  the  most  criminal  robberies  of  the 
public  treasury,  done  as  openly  as  if  they  were  entirely 
legitimate.  No  effort  was  made  to  conceal  proceedings 
which  should  have  sent  certain  officials  to  the  State 
Prison. 

It  appeared  as  though  the  infamous  clique  represented 
by  Mr.  Swellup  were  either  so  ignorant  that  they  did  not 
appreciate  the  scandal  of  their  own  transactions,  or  else 
they  hoped  to  make  roguery  respectable  by  practicing  it 
openly,  and  making  it  common.  Thus  the  depravity  of 
the  young  men  of  their  set,  growing  up  around  them,was 
astounding.  The  clique  lived  in  an  unbounded,  gorgeous 
extravagance,  supported  chiefly  by  public  plunder ;  and 
they  plied  their  vocation  as  openly  as  the  respectable  por 
tion  of  the  community  did  their  honest  callings.  Their 
aped-gentility  was  rendered  the  more  detestable  by  a  coarse 
vulgarity.  Strong  in  the  possession  of  political  power, 
they  carried  themselves  with  an  insolence  as  galling  to  the 
honest  tax-payers  from  whom  they  had  stolen  their  wealth, 
as  the  rattling  of  the  chains  is  to  the  slave  bound  to  the 
one  who  robs  him  of  the  fruits  of  his  honest  labor.  These 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  25 

unfledged  noblemen  of  the  pilfered  treasury  spoke  of 
those  who  made  any  pretensions  to  honesty,  with  con 
tempt,  and  exalted  any  man  who,  by  shrewd  rascality, 
managed  to  amass  a  fortune.  Honesty  was  with  them  a 
by-word,  and  they  spoke  of  "  stealings  "  as  the  great  de 
sideratum  of  any  position,  public  or  private,  with  as  great 
nonchalance  as  if  such  were  a  part  of  the  recognized  per 
quisites  of  any  shrewd  man  who  should  have  the  handling 
of  funds. 

And  it  was  rather  discouraging  for  those  who  rely 
greatly  on  human  nature,  to  observe  how  fast  this  faction 
were  infusing  their  turpitude  into  the  community.  Peo 
ple  actually  began  to  view  with  indifference  the  shameless 
lives  of  this  clique.  Had  they  endeavored  to  rob  the 
public  treasury  secretly,  they  would  soon  have  been  de 
tected  and  brought  to  grief.  But  the  long,  open  and  suc 
cessful  pursuit  of  their  nefarious  calling,  caused  people 
gradually  to  regard  them  as  being  engaged  in  legitimate 
practices.  Their  great  wealth  enabled  them  to  daze  the 
less  thoughtful,  and  corrupt  the  weak  and  venal.  It  may 
seem  strange,  but  it  is  true,  that  what  before  had  been 
looked  upon  as  criminal,  was  getting  to  be  regarded  as 
right,  and  a  matter  of  course ;  simply  because  this  clique 
had  openly  practiced  infamy,  and  thrown  around  it  the 
glamour  of  wealth.  It  is  therefore  evident  that  no  mon 
strosity  is  too  absurd  or  infamous  to  pass  for  a  time  un 
challenged,  provided  it  is  attended  with  success. 

The  more  thoughtful  portion  of  the  community  looked 
upon  the  doings  of  this  clique  in  powerless  horror.  The 
clique  had  made  politics  and  office-holding  so  disreputable 
that  men  of  reputation  shrunk  from  taking  any  part  in 
them.  There  was  such  shrewdness  mingled  with  their  ras 
cality  that  they  seemed  to  be  constantly  gaining  strength. 
They  scattered  their  stolen  wealth  freely  in  every  direction, 
resorting  to  specific  bribery  wrhere  that  was  best,  and  to  in 
sidious  bribery  where  that  was  more  expedient.  They 
extended  a  lavish  patronage  to  the  newspaper  press,  and 
thus  insidiously  propitiated  that  powerful  engine  to  their 
interests.  Men  controlling  powerful  journals,  who  would 
have  scorned  a  specific  bribe,  were  thus  subtly  wTon  over 
by  receiving  liberal  contracts  in  the  way  of  public  print 
ing.  The  clique  were  constantly  increasing  their  ranks 


26  THE    LEECH    CLUB  ;    OR,    THE 

by  taking  into  close  communion  those  who  were  men  af 
ter  their  own  hearts,  They  were  extending  their  ramifi 
cations  into  other  States,  and  obtaining  a  foothold  in  the 
halls  of  the  Federal  Government.  They  had  united  their 
fortunes  and  forces  with  the  unscrupulous  heads  of  pow 
erful  railroad  companies  and  other  great  corporations  ;  so 
that  the  assertion  of  Mr.  Swellup  that  these  were  the  real 
Government  of  the  country,  had  a  shade  of  truth.  Every 
rich  corporation,  which  happened  to  be  controlled  by  un 
scrupulous  men,  who  needed  any  legislation  to  aid  their 
nefarious  designs,  or  feared  any  adverse  enactments,  were 
either  a  part  of  this  clique,  or  else  were  its  tributaries. 

In  a  word,  their  dazzling  wealth  and  unconcealed  ve 
nality  had  blinded  the  multitude ;  their  money  was  ready 
to  hire  the  venal  to  corrupt  the  ballot-box ;  the  apparent 
hopelessness  of  the  situation,  and  the  unutterable  ill-re 
pute  into  which  politics  had  fallen,  had  driven  honest 
men  to  the  shades  of  private  life,  glad  if  they  could  pre 
serve  a  moiety  of  their  effects  from  the  rapacious  crew  ; 
they  moulded  the  venal  of  all  parties  to  subserve  their  base 
purposes,  and  thus  had  their  friends  in  every  political  or 
ganization  ;  and  so  a  legalized  highway  robbery  held  high 
carnival,  and  men  began  to  ask,  "  Is  this  what  is  called  a 
Republican  Government  ?" 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  LEECH  CLU*. 

As  might  be  expected,  when  Horace  Lackfathe  retired 
to  bed  in  the  mysterious  dwelling  in  the  Catskills,  his 
mind  was  racked  by  a  good  many  conflicting  thoughts. 
At  first  he  was  disposed  to  surmise  that  he  had  fallen 
upon  a  den  of  junketing  outlaws,  and  was  in  doubt  with 
regard  to  his  safety.  But  a  little  reflection  satisfied  him 
that  this  could  not  be  so ;  for  he  reasoned  that,  notwith 
standing  he  had  wandered  a  long  distance  inland,  he  could 
not  be  at  most  more  than  a  few  miles  from  the  haunts  of 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  37 

civilization,  and  that  a  building  of  this  size  could  not  long 
remain  unknown  to  the  wanderers  among  the  Catskille. 
He  was  not  superstitious  enough  to  believe  that  such  a 
structure  could  be  the  creation  of  supernatural  agencies, 
which  could  obliterate  it  at  as  short  notice  as  they  called 
it  into  existence.  He  therefore  rightly  reasoned  that  the 
building  must  be  known  to  the  people  who  inhabited  the 
country  near  by.  As  to  his  safety,  he  concluded  that, 
were  the  inmates  disposed  to  deal  violently  with  him,  he 
wrould  incur  just  as  much  danger  in  attempting  to  leave 
as  in  remaining,  for  he  could  not  depart  without  their 
knowledge.  Moreover,  in  his  exhausted  condition,  he 
felt  that  he  would  rather  risk  the  consequences  in  the 
building,  than  again  to  brave  the  dangers  and  terrors  of 
a  nightly  journey  through  the  mountains.  He  soon  fell 
asleep  from  very  exhaustion. 

The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens  when  he  awoke. 
Making  as  respectable  a  toilet  as  he  could,  considering  his 
drenching  of  the  previous  night,  he  descended  to  the 
ground  floor  of  the  building.  He  soon  came  in  contact 
with  the  people  of  the  establishment,  and  was  civilly 
treated,  and  conducted  to  a  room  of  good  size,  where 
breakfast  was  served.  There  seemed  to  be  no  particular 
regularity  or  concert  among  the  inmates  in  partaking  of 
this  meal.  They  came  and  went  as  suited  their  inclina 
tions.  Ladies  and  gentlemen  lounged  at  the  tables,  sip 
ping  their  coffee,  and  partaking  of  the  viands  languidly, 
indulging  in  a  little  chat,  or  remaining  silent,  as  com 
ported  with  their  mood.  Having  satistied  himself  with 
substantial  comforts,  Horace  left  the  dining-room  ;  and  as 
he  did  so,  he  met  a  civil-appearing  man,  who  politely 
informed  him  that  he  was  welcome  to  remain  in  the  es 
tablishment  until  he  should  feel  rested  from  the  evident 
exhaustion  that  he  must  have  suffered  during  his  previous 
night's  wanderings  in  the  mountains.  Horace  explained 
briefly  that  he  had  been  making  a  short  stay  at  one  of  the 
many  boarding-houses  in  the  Catskills,  had  strolled  off  to 
one  of  the  high  peaks,  and  become  lost,  and  benighted  in 
the  mountains.  When  he  spoke  of  the  strange  and  ap 
parently  supernatural  sights  he  had  seen,  and  sounds  he 
had  heard,  the  gentleman's  countenance  wore  an  undefina- 
ble  expression,  but  he  did  not  manifest  surprise  orincred- 


28  THE   LEECH    CLUB;   OK,    THE 

ulity.  Horace  ventured  a  few  questions  in  regard  to  the 
existence  of  so  luxurious  a  dwelling  in  so  obscure  a  situa 
tion  in  the  mountains,  premising  that  it  seemed  almost 
like  the  creation  of  genii  or  fairies ;  but  he  obtained  no 
real  satisfaction  as  to  who  erected  the  building,  or  for 
what  purpose  it  was  built,  any  further  than  that  it  was  re- 
soiled  to  by  some  wealthy  men  from  a  distant  city.  Af 
ter  gaining  what  information  he  could,  and  briefly  viewing 
such  of  the  rooms  as  he  passed  through,  Horace  walked 
out  into  the  open  air. 

It  was  one  of  those  bright  summer  mornings  so  com 
mon  in  mountain  regions  after  the  air  has  undergone  the 
purifying  influence  of  rain  and  thunder.  The  sky  pre 
sented  a  pure,  unadulterated  blue ;  the.  foliage  on  the 
mountain  sides,  cleansed  and  refreshed  by  the  recent  rain, 
was  of  a  rich  green ;  and  the  mountain  streams  sparkled 
as  if  with  diamonds  washed  down  from  the  rocks.  The 
birds  sang  with  the  sprigiitliness  that  only  the  feathered 
tribe  can  exhibit  after  a  heavy  rain  has  been  followed  by 
a  brilliant  clearing-up.  The  bees  went  humming  about 
from  flower  to  flower,  adding  their  cheerful  song  of  in 
dustry  to  the  warbling  of  the  birds. 

The  building  stood  in  a  most  enchanting  spot.  To  the 
east  the  mountains  parted  into  a  deep  gorge,  through 
which  the  morning  sun  streamed  with  all  the  glory  and 
brilliancy  of  its  summer  rays.  On  the  other  hand  were 
two  other  breaks  in  the  mountains,  the  one  gorge  opening 
in  a  direction  a  little  north  of  west,  the  other  a  little  south 
of  west.  Thus  was  the  building  situated  in  a  position  for 
the  inmates  to  witness  the  most  enchanting  effects  of  sun 
rise  and  sunset  in  the  mountains. 

Down  each  of  the  two  gorges  mentioned  as  opening  to 
the  west,  flowed  a  rapid  stream  of  water,  of  considerable 
size.  A  short  distance  to  the  west^of  the  building  these 
two  streams  united,  and  after  running  a  short  distance  as 
one,  the  stream  parted  into  two  currents,  flowing  one  to 
the  right,  and  the  other  to  the  left  of  the  small  plateau 
on  wThich  the  house  stood,  and  a  short  distance  below  leap 
ing  in  two  splendid  cascades  down  into  a  charming  little 
lake  of  sixty  or  seventy  acres,  its  waters  cut  into  irregular 
shapes  by  the  jutting  mountain  headlands.  Thus  the 
house  stood  in  the  centre  of  an  island  of  about  six  acres 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CAT8KILLS.  29 

with  a  swiftly-running  stream  on  either  side,  and  two 
beautiful  cascades  and  a  lake  in  front.  The  little  island 
on  which  the  house  stood  had  been  partly  cleared  of  the 
native  forest  trees,  only  enough  having  been  left  standing 
to  afford  ample  shade.  The  grounds  were  partly  kept  and 
partly  in  their  native  wildness.  *  As  the  ground  descended 
in  front  of  the  house,  it  had  there  for  a  short  distance 
been  artificially  formed  into  terraces,  after  which  it  was 
left  in  its  natural  state,  descending  rapidly  to  the  shore  of 
the  lake.  In  parts  of  the  grounds,  there  were  walks  and 
parterres,  the  latter  blooming  with  cultivated  flowers. 
In  the  uncultivated  portions  the  wild  flowers  grew  in  their 
native  luxuriance ;  and  thus  the  wild  honey-suckle,  the 
dogwood  and  the  countless  and  almost  nameless  flora  of 
the  woods,  were  brought  into  close  contrast  with  the 
fuchsia,  the  aster,  and  the  dahlia.  In  a  spacious  green 
house  were  many  rare  plants. 

"  Ducks,  geese  and  swans  were  swimming  in  the  lake,  and 
fowls  of  various  kinds  were  seen  wandering  about  the 
grounds,  or  hovering  around  the  hennery.  The  notes  of 
these,  if  not  musical,  at  least  helped  to  vary  the  monotony 
of  the  lonely  situation.  On  the  lake  were  symmetrical 
boats,  with  awnings  to  protect  from  the  sun  those  who 
sought  pleasure  in  sailing. 

Proceeding  from  the  inspection  of  details  to  the  more 
prominent  features  of  the  landscape,  the  beholder  could 
not  fail  to  remark  that  the  scene  was  one  of  almost  incom 
parable  grandeur.  The  building  stood  in  a  sort  of  trian 
gular  valley,  hemmed  in  by  lofty  peaks,  separated  by  the 
opening  gorges  we  have  mentioned.  The  sides  of  these 
mountains  were  diversified  with  tremendous  rocky  preci 
pices,  gorges,  and  tracts  of  timber.  The  latter  consisted 
partly  of  evergreens,  and  partly  of  hardwood  timber.  The 
rich,  softer  green  of  the  deciduous  trees  was  commingled 
with  the  sombre  foliage  of  the  evergreens  ;  and  the  many 
variations  of  shade  imparted  by  the  sun  to  the  billowy 
sea  of  verdure,  rendered  the  effect  indescribable.  Owing 
to  the  various  and  irregular  positions  of  the  mountains, 
as  the  sun  poured  his  brilliant  rays  upon  the  landscape, 
some  portions  of  it  stood  in  deep  shade,  some  in  a  shade 
of  less  degree,  while  some  reflected  the  full  power  of  the 
sun's  fervent  beams.  The  deep  gorges  reposed  as  under 


30  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

sombre  clouds,  and  the  mountain  crests  looked  like  ridges 
cropping  out  with  gold.     It  was  a  scene  for  a  painter. 

Horace  turned  from  the  magnificent  scene  to  an  inspec 
tion  of  the  dwelling.  Though  a  good-sized  stone  build 
ing,  constructed  somewhat  in  the  Gothic  style,  there  was 
nothing  especially  formidable  about  its  appearance.  The 
outer  walls  were  of  stone,  in  the  dressing  of  which  there 
had  been  no  great  deal  of  pains  taken.  The  doors  and 
window-blinds,  though  painted  to  look  like  wood,  on  a 
near  inspection  were  found  to  be  iron.  The  blinds  were 
made  in  the  open,  lattice  fashion,  like  those  of  any  ordin 
ary  dwelling.  They  were  made  with  strong  fastenings ; 
and  the  inmates  of  the  house  at  night  might  have  plenty 
of  air,  and  still  feel  secure  that  no  one  could  readily  enter 
the  building  from  the  outside.  This  might  have  been  a 
necessary  precaution  in  so  lonely  a  place.  The  roof, 
though  painted  to  look  like  slate,  was  composed  of  sheet 
iron  plates.  The  building  was  two  stories  high,  with 
sleeping  apartments  in  the  attic,  and  would  accommodate 
more  people  than  one  might  suppose  at  first  sight. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HORACE   MAKES   SOME  NEW   ACQUAINTANCES. 

As  Horace  leisurely  inspected  the  premises,  he  was  sud 
denly  startled  by  a  voice  just  over  his  shoulder,  saying  : 

"  My  good  friend,  you  must  not  be  astonished  at  any 
thing  you  see  here." 

Horace  turned  as  if  he  expected  to  see  one  of  the 
ghostly  crew  who  had  haunted  his  wanderings  on  the  pre 
vious  evening,  and  after  apparently  assuring  himself  that 
he  was  addressed  by  a  creature  of  flesh  and  blood,  re 
plied  : 

"  No,  indeed,  since  last  night,  I  should  not  be  at  all 
surprised  to  see  a  regiment  of  men  march  forth  from 
yonder  solid  precipice." 

"From  what   you  say,"  responded  the  stranger,  "I 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  31 

guess  you  have  been  favored  with  some  of  the  strange 
sights  that  have  been  so  often  seen  in  these  mountains. 

"  I  have  been  living  in  a  crowded  city  for  a  year  past," 
said  Horace,  "  and  came  out  here  into  the  mountains  for 
the  improvement  of  my  physical  health  ;  but  I  fear,  when 
I  return,  I  shall  have  need  of  a  physician  who  can  '  min 
ister  to  a  mind  diseased ';  for  after  last  night's  adventures, 
,and  what  I  have  seen  here,  I  am  almost  led  to  doubt  my 
own  soundness  of  mind,  or  to  think  I  have  been,  and  am 
still,  dreaming." 

"  Well,"  said  the  other,  "  if  seeing  strange  things  in  the 
mountains  constitutes  craziness,  you  have  plenty  of  com 
pany  in  your  insanity.  As  for  what  you  see  here,  it  is  a 
solid  reality,  as  you  will  willingly  testify  by  the  time  you 
have  tasted  the  hospitalities  of  the  establishment  for  a 
week." 

""But,  how  is  it  that  such  an  elegantly-furnished  house 
is  found  in  this  out-of-the-way  place,  which,  however  de 
lightful  the  landscape  viewed  from  here,  is  reached — at 
least  by  me — in  a  manner  as  terrific  as  crossing  the  myth 
ological  river  Styx  ?" 

"  Oh  !  it  is  only  a  resort  fixed  up  by  some  gentlemen, 
where  they  can  come  and  rusticate  and  have  a  first-rate 
time  during  the  summer  months.  As  to  the  strange  sights 
you  speak  of,  they  are  not  often  seen,  and  they  rather  add 
to  the  novelty  01  the  situation.  Occasionally,  a  person 
or  a  party  of  two  or  three,  will  come  in  and  report  hav 
ing  seen  the  most  astounding  things  ;  and  then  the  whole 
house,  especially  those  who  have  never  seen  anything  of 
the  kind,  will  gather  around  and  hear  the  wonderful  tale, 
and  all  sorts  of  conjectures  will  be  made  as  to  the  origin 
of  the  marvelous  appearances.  Some  conjecture  that 
there  is  a  gang  of  counterfeiters  here  in  the  mountains, 
which  I  don't  believe.*  Others  regard  them  as  spiritual 
manifestations,  such  as  we  have  heard  much  of  in  the 
papers  of  late  years.  You  know,  spiritualists  believe  that 
certain  localities  are  at  times  the  especial  resort  of  spirits, 
which,  for  reasons  best  known  to  themselves,  cut  up  all  sorts 
of  unaccountable  antics.  For  my  part,  I  believe  that  many 
of  these  reports  of  strange  things  seen,  result  from  the  ex 
cited  imaginations  of  those  who  are  always  ready  to  con 
vert  a  shapeless  rock  or  bush  into  a  bugaboo ;  or  often, 


32  THE   LEECH   CLUB;   OB,    THE 

perhaps,  the  inventions  of  those  who  like  to  recite  a  mar 
velous  tale  for  the  delectation  of  a  gaping  circle  of  list 
eners.  Still,  it  must  be  admitted  that  some  things  have 
been  seen  here  which  cannot  be  accounted  for  from  a 
human  standpoint.  Such,  though,  I  believe  to  have  been 
very  rare  occurrences." 

"  I,"  said  Horace,  "  have  been  rather  disposed  to  scout 
at  the  stories  of  mysterious  manifestations  such  as  have 
been  reported  from  various  parts  of  the  country  during 
the  last  few  years.  But  I  confess  just  now  to  being  a 
little  staggered.  It  certainly  is  admitted  by  all  reasona 
ble  men  that  there  are  some  apparently  supernatural  mani 
festations  that  have  never  been  explained,  but  that  is  not 
saying  that  they  never  will  be." 

"  There  is,"  rejoined  the  other,  "  a  legend  extant  in 
this  section  of  country,  that  might  furnish  the  text  for 
many  marvelous  tales.  It  is  respecting  a  man  who  lived 
some  miles  from  where  we  are,  before  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  was  a  large  landed  proprietor,  and  in  those 
days,  as  you  are  aware,  it  was  a  common  thing  to  have 
bound  white  servan'ts,  who  were  as  completely  subject  to 
their  masters  as  were  the  slaves  of  the  South  before  the 
emancipation.  This  man  had  a  female  servant,  who, 
while  compelled  to  give  the  employment  of  her  hands  to 
her  arbitrary  master,  gave  her  heart  to  another  individ 
ual.  As  a  natural  result,  the  girl  ran  away  with  her 
lover.  The  master  pursued  on  horse-back,  captured  the 

girl,  and  tied  her  to  his  horse's  tail.  He  then  mounted 
is  horse,  and  rode  for  home,  the  girl  being  compelled  to 
march  on  behind  like  a  captive  hitched  to  the  chariot  of 
a  Roman  conqueror.  A  terrible  fate  awaited  the  poor 
girl ;  and  a  more  terrible  retribution  was  to  be  visited  on 
the  perpetrator  of  the  cruel  deed.  The  horse  became 
frightened,  ran  away,  and  the  life  was  dashed  out  of  the 
poor  captive  upon  the  merciless  rocks.  The  vindictive 
master  was  tried  for  murder,  and  found  guilty.  But 
owing  to  the  wealth  and  influence  of  his  family,  the 
court  was  prevailed  upon  to  postpone  the  execution  of 
the  sentence  of  death  until  he  should  reach  the  age  of 
ninety-nine  years.  He  was  allowed  to  reside  on  his 
estate,  but  was  condemned  always  to  wear  a  cord  around 
his  neck,  as  a  reminder  of  the  fate  that  ultimately  awaited 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  33 

him.  He  was  also  bound  to  appear  before  the  court 
once  a  year,  to  hear  a  reiteration  of  the  sentence.  It 
would  naturally  have  been  supposed  that  one  with  such  a 
sentence  hanging  over  him  would  have  fallen  into  pre 
mature  decay,  and  that  the  canker-worm  of  remorse 
would  have  eaten  away  the  vitals  of  life,  long  before  the 
time  appointed  for  the  ever-present  cord  about  his  neck 
to  be  tightened  upon  the  scaffold.  But  he  apparently 
lived  to  suffer,  an  outcast  from  society,  a  prey  to  a  con 
suming  conscience,  and  the  recipient  of  spectral  visita 
tions.  The  night  winds  as  they  rustled  about  his  dwell 
ing,  were  laden  with  sad  sighs ;  a  white  cow,  which  had 
been  a  pet  of  the  murdered  girl,  would  frequently  be 
seen  wandering  among  the  rocks,  and  lowing  mournfully, 
but  she  always  vanished  into  air  on  being  approached ; 
a  large  dog  which  had  often  received  kindnesses  at  the 
girl's  hands,  would  frequently  stand  looking  toward  the 
house  and  howling,  but  those  who  tried  to  coax  the  ani 
mal  into  friendliness,  found  they  were  talking  to  a  spec 
tre;  sometimes  a  maiden  would  be  seen  standing  on  a 
distant  rock,  with  a  lighted  candle,  singing  mournfully, 
or  uttering  cries  of  distress ;  frequently  a  horse  would  be 
seen  dashing  past,  dragging  behind  him  a  female,  mangled 
and  bleeding,  and  uttering  agonizing  cries  for  help. 

"  Death  refused  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the  man  living 
under  the  terrible  condemnation  ;  whose  days  were  a  mo 
notonous  routine  of  withering  sorrow  and  remorse,  and 
whose  nights  were  haunted  by  a  constant,  shadowy  re- 
enactment  of  scenes  resembling  the  crime  he  had  com 
mitted,  or  visitations  from  the  spirit  of  the  murdered  girl, 
or  the  spectral  appearances  of  the  sympathizing  dumb 
brutes  which  had  loved  her  while  living.  The  con 
demned  man  lived  on  from  youth  to  middle  age,  gliding 
into  the  decline  of  life,  and  still  the  venom  of  remorse 
could  not  eat  away  his  vitals,  nor  could  his  physical  sys 
tem  be  exhausted  by  a  constant  subjection  to  the  terrors 
of  two  worlds — for  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  he 
lived  on  the  confines  of  the  material  and  the  spiritual 
universe,  subject  to  the  shadowy  terrors  of  the  one,  which 
ever  kept  before  him  the  semblance  of  his  wicked  deed, 
and  the  real  tangible  terrors  of  the  other,  which  ever 
kept  about  his  neck  the  cord  that  was  ultimately  to 
2* 


3i  THE   LEECH   CLUB;    OE,    THE 

strangle  him.  Like  Cain,  his  punishment  was  greater 
than  he  could  bear,  but  there  was  no  alternative  but  to 
bear  it.  The  generation  which  had  been  conversant  with 
the  circumstances  of  the  crime,  passed  away,  and  still  the 
old  man  lived  quiet  and  inoffensive,  but  never  knowing 
what  it  was  to  enjoy  the  sympathy  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
His  life  was  an  anomaly.  lie  apparently  belonged  to 
neither  this  world  nor  the  next.  He  could  neither  pene 
trate  beyond  the  gloom  which  hedges  the  dark  Plutonian 
river,  nor  bask  in  the  sunshine  of  this  sublunary  abode. 
He  was  over  ninety  years  old,  and  still  the  people  thought 
he  wTould  reach  his  ninety-ninth  year,  when  his  sentence 
would  be  executed.  But  not  only  had  the  generation 
who  knew  intimately  of  his  crime,  as  well  as  the  Court 
which  sentenced  him,  passed  away ;  the  Government  of 
the  country  was  also  changed.  The  Republic  had  taken 
the  place  of  the  Colonies,  and  had  any  one  been  disposed 
to  enforce  the  punishment,  there  was  no  Court  competent 
to  take  cognizance  of  a  sentence  passed  seventy-five  years 
before.  The  old  man  finally  died  peacefully  in  his  bed, 
at  the  age  of  more  than  one  hundred  years ;  and  if  the 
object  of  the  sentence  was  simply  punishment,  the  spirit 
of  the  law  was  certainly  carried  out  a  hundred-fold." 

"  But,"  said  Horace,  after  listening  attentively  to  this 
singular  tale,  "  you  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  spirits  of 
the  murdered  girl,  and  her  sympathizing  cows,  dogs  and 
horses,  as  well  as  the  shade  of  the  old  man,  still  cling  ten 
aciously  to  these  mountains  ?  As  for  the  girl,  I  should 
think  that,  after  the  old  man's  death,  she  would  no  longer 
have  occasion  to  '  revisit  the  glimpses  of  the  moon,  and 
make  night  hideous '  in  this  locality ;  and  as  for  the  old 
man,  I  should  think  he  had  seen  trouble  enough  in  these 
parts,  without  desiring  to  come  back  here." 

"  No,  no,  my  friend,"  said  the  other,  "  I  have  no  such 
idea.  I  have  only  related  to  you  a  legend  of  the  Cats- 
kills  as  it  has  been  told  to  me.  Indeed,  if  wicked  and 
cruel  deeds  cause  spirits  to  break  over  the  confines  of  the 
unknown  world,  there  is  abundant  reason  why  they 
should  appear  just  now.  I  know  men  who  go  unsen- 
tenced,  unhung  and  unpunished — for  not  even  their  con 
sciences  seem  to  trouble  them — whose  crimes  are  ten-fold 
blacker  than  that  of  the  old  man  mentioned  in  the  story. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  35 

And  if  dark  deeds  cause  the  shades  of  men  to  walk  the 
earth  after  they  arc  dead,  I  know  some  men  now  living 
who  will  make  first-class  ghosts  one  of  these  days." 

" '  It  needs  no  ghost  to  tell  us  that,'  "  said  Horace. 

"And,"  said  the  other,  "  here  comes  a  coterie,  who,  if 
their  sins  are  a  qualification,  will  make  a  lively  band  of 
ghosts  for  this  region  at  some  future  time,  should  the  race 
of  Catskill  shadows  depreciate  or  run  out,  and  need  re 
newing." 

Horace  and  his  new  acquaintance  were  here  joined  by 
eight  or  ten  men,  richly  attired,  who  were  evidently  out 
for  a  morning  walk.  The  foremost  one  addressed  Hor 
ace's  companion,  in  the  mincing  tones  of  uncertain  pro 
nunciation,  affected  by  the  city  swell.  A  noted  feature 
of  this  dialect  is  to  leave  off  the  "  r  "  at  the  termination 
of  a  syllable  or  word.  Another  is  to  put  a  strong  accent 
on  syllables  that  are  not  properly  accented.  In  this  way 
the  swell  language  has  a  peculiar,  mincing  expression, 
which  the  users  of  it  think  is  very  impressive  and  refined. 
Horace's  companion  was  known  as  Mr.  Graphic,  and  this 
name  was  pronounced  by  the  swell  as  if  it  were  spelled, 
Grawf-feek,  with  both  syllables  accented. 

"Aw,  Mistah  Grawf-feek,  a  fine  day  foh  sketching.  I 
wondah  you  are  not  engaged  with  you  ah  brush  and  pen 
cil  this  mo'ning." 

"  Oh !  Mr.  Sindandy,"  replied  Mr.  Graphic,  "  I  have 
found  very  agreeable  employment  in  showing  this  stranger 
the  lions,  or  rather  the  pet  wolf  and  bear,  hereabouts,  and 
explaining,  as  far  as  possible,  the  whys  and  wherefores  of 
things  which  naturally  must  seem  strange  to  him." 

"  You  say  truly,  Mistah  Grawf-feek.  It  must  seem  odd 
to  a  strangah  to  find  a  palace  hea  in  the  mountains.  But 
we  could  show  him  mattahs  and  things  pahtaining  to  the 
Leech  Club,  much  strangah  than  this.  My  friend,"  (ad 
dressing  Horace)  "  did  you  evah  hea  of  the  Leech  Club 
befoah  2" 

Horace  replied  that  he  had  heard  some  vague  reports 
respecting  the  Club,  but  knew  little  about  it. 

"  Well,  moi  friend,  a  man  who  is  admitted  into  mem- 
bahship  of  the  Leech  Club,  may  considah  his  foahtune 
made.  You  might  say,  moi  friend,  that  the  Leech  Club 
is  the  actual  Govahment  of  the  State,  and  it  will  one  of 


36  THE   LEECH   CLUB ;    OR,    THE 

these  days  govern  the  nation.  It  also  numbahs  among  its 
membahs  some  of  the  fi'st  railroad  men  in  the  country. 
We  have  Club  houses  in  seve'al  States,  both  in  country 
and  in  the  large  cities ;  but  this  one  in  the  Catskills  is  one 
of  ouah  favorite  summah  resoahts." 

"  You  must,"  said  Horace,  "  have  a  mine  of  wealth  to 
draw  on,  in  order  to  support  so  many  establishments,  pro 
vided  they  are  all  as  splendid  as  this  one  is  in  the  in 
terior." 

"  This,  moi  friend,  is  nothing.  It  is  no  moah  than  one 
of  the  neighbo'ing,  rustic  fa'm  houses  compa'ed  to  some 
of  our  city  establishments.  The  palaces  of  Europe  are 
not  moah  splendid.  As  for  suppoahting  them,  you  may 
well  say  we  have  a  mine  of  wealth  to  draw  on.  I,  you 
see,  am  a  young  man,  but  I  have  served  the  country  and 
the  public  in  seve'al  diffe'ent  capacities.  I  have  been  to 
the  Legislacha,  whea  I  made  a  good  thing.  I  have  had 
city  contracts ;  I  have  acted  as  refe'ee  in  cases  at  law, 
whea  the  fees  are  la'ge ;  I  have  been  connected  with 
railroad  co'porations ;  and  you  must  know  that  such  of 
ficials  receive  liberal  compensation  ;  for  the  public  must 
Eay  its  faithful  servants.  You  must  have  observed  this 
ict,  that  no  class  of  men  do  so  well  as  those  who  draw 
thea  pay  from  the  public.  And  the  reason  is  clea ;  for 
whea  you  are  wo'king  for  one  employah,  he  may  find 
lime  to  higgle  about  the  price  ;  but  the  public  consists  of 
BO  many,  no  one  is  going  to  scrutinize  things  so  closely. 
Besides,  even  if  they  pay  a  little  too  much,  it  is  divided 
up  among  so  many  that  no  one  feels  it.  Therefoah,  we 
might  as  well  have  a  good  price  when  we  wo'k  for  the 
public.  Nothing  like  serving  youah  country,  moi  friend, 
lor  youah  country's  good,  and  moah  especially  for  youah 
own." 

"  You  speak,"  said  Horace,  "  of  having  made  a  good 
thing  in  the  Legislature.  But  the  pay  of  members  of 
that  body  is  very  small — scarcely  enough  to  pay  their 
expenses.  I  don't  see  how  they  can  lay  up  anything  out 
of  their  salaries." 

Mr.  Sindandy  drew  a  long  "  whew !"  as  if  in  commis 
eration  of  Horace's  ignorance,  and  said : 

"  I  see,  moi  friend,  you  are  not  much  acquainted  with 
public  affiai's.  The  stated  pay  of  a  membah  of  the  Leg- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  37 

islacha  will  not  pay  for  his  segahs.  If  that  was  all  he 
could  make  there,  he  might  bettah  go  to  the  pooah-house. 
You  f  o'get  that  some  co'poration  or  individual  is  inter 
ested  in  almost  every  bill  that  passes,  and  that  it  re- 
quiahs  wo'k  to  get  bills  through.  And  do  you  suppose 
those  who  give  thea  time  and  influence  to  accomplish  all 
this  legislation,  are  going  to  do  it  for  nothing'?  It  is 
true  that  there  are  many  in  the  Legislacha  who  have  no 
influence  thea,  and  as  they  can  do  little  towa'ds  aiding 
legislation,  they  obtain  but  little  for  thea  services  except 
their  regulah  salary.  Such  men  don't  amount  to  much 
in  the  Legislacha,  and  they  soon  get  tired  of  serving 
there. 

"  It  is  not  a  man's  talents  so  much  that  give  him  in 
fluence  in  the  Legislacha,  as  it  is  his  connections.  It  de 
pends  on  the  chain  of  influences  he  can  bring  to  beah  on 
legislation,  how  much  he  is  to  be  thought  of  in  that  body. 
It  is  something,  moi  friend,  to  be  a  membah  of  the  Leech 
Club,  to  have  influence  in  the  Legislacha.  This  Club  has 
a  hundred  influences  it  can  bring  to  beah  on  legislation. 
There  is  hardly  a  section  of  the  State  in  which  the  Club 
does  not  control  some  interests.  The  membahs  of  the 
Club  control  railroads,  and  factories,  and  canals,  and  best 
of  all,  the  patronage  of  the  State.  -Now,  suppose  the 
Club  want  a  bill  passed.  We  can  say  to  membahs  from 
the  different  sections  of  the  State :  You  must  vote  for 
this  bill,  or  such  and  such  a  railroad  will  not  be  careful 
to  serve  the  interests  of  youah  constituents.  The  chief 
passenger  trains  will  give  youah  place  the  go-by,  and  the 
local  tariff  of  freights  will  be  raised.  We  can  say  to 
othah  membahs :  You  must  vote  for  this  bill,  or  such  and 
such  a  factory  will  stop,  and  a  la'ge  numbah  of  youah 
constituents  will  be  thrown  out  of  employment  in  the 
dead  of  wintah.  The  Club  controls  so  many  railroads, 
factories,  mines  and  othah  la'ge  interests,  that  we  can 
bring  these  influences  to  beah.  We  can  control  men  in 
terested  ih  banks,  by  promising  them  the  State  funds  to 
deposit ;  and  the  State  patronage  gives  us  a  levah  with 
which  we  expect  some  day  to  move  even  the  National 
Govahment.  But  it  would  take  me  a  week  to  recount 
all  the  engines  we  have  for  influencing  State  legislation. 

"  So  you  see,  moi  friend,  that  any  one  who  wants  a 


38  THE   LEECH   CLUB;    OR,   THE 

bill  passed  is  bound  to  come  for  aid  to  some  membah  of 
the  Legislacha  who  belongs  to  the  Leech  Club.  No  mat- 
tah  what  the  bill  may  be,  we  can  pass  it  or  kill  it.  You 
may  reasonably  suppose  that  we  don't  give  our  valuable 
services  for  nothing.  It  is  a  great  deal  of  trouble  for 
us  to  go  around  and  drum  up  the  votes  for  the  passage  of 
a  bill,  and  it  is  no  moah  than  right  that  we  should  be  paid 
for  extra  wo'k.  While  we  are  doing  this  wo'k,  the  othah 
membahs  are  enjoying  thea  ease,  and  it  is  perfectly  fair 
that  we  should  have  extra  pay,  and  there  is  nothing  ille 
gal  about  it. 

"  You  see,  moi  friend,  that  talent  for  speech-making  is 
but  a  f  eathah  in  the  scale,  when  weighed  against  the  sub 
stantial  influences  of  the  Leech  Club.  I  would  rathah  be 
able  to  wield  the  influence  of  this  Club  in  ordah  to  carry 
any  measha  through  the  Legislacha,  than  to  possess  the 
eloquence  of  Webstah,  Clay,  Patrick  Henry,  and  William 
Pitt,  combined.  Sometimes  a  man  will  get  up  in  the 
Legislacha,  and  make  a  fine  speech  on  some  bill ;  and  if 
we  membahs  who  belong  to  the  Leech  Club  are  opposed 
to  him,  we  laugh  in  our  sleeves  to  hear  him  waste  his 
breath.  Aftah  he  gets  through,  we  control  the  vote  on 
the  bill  as  we  want  it,  and  the  speech  has  no  moah  effect 
than  if  he  had  spoken  it  heah  in  the  mountains  to  the 
rocks  and  trees. 

"  But  I  have  talked  sufficient  to  give  you  an  idea  how 
a  man  may  make  a  good  thing  in  the  Legislacha,  and  still 
take  nothing  for  which  he  does  not  rendah  an  equivalent 
in  real  honest  wo'k.  I  will  now  introduce  you  to  moi 
friends  hea,  who  belong  to  the  Leech  Club.  As  you  get 
acquainted  with  them,  you  will  see  that  we  do  not  con 
fine  ouah  membahship  to  the  higah  classes.  We  find 
useful  membahs  in  all  classes  of  society.  The  main  con 
dition  is  that  a  membah  shall  be  a  representative  man  of 
his  class,  and  fee  able  to  influence  them  at  an  election.'5 

Horace  viewed  the  crowd  with  a  quick,  critical  eye, 
and  mentally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  these  must  have 
been  admitted  into  the  Leech  Club  for  any  thing  but  their 
intellectual  or  moral  qualifications.  There  were  evidently 
among  the  number  those  who  had  been  raised  to  their 
present  elevation  "from  the  very  slums  of  a  large  city,  as 
well  as  those  who  had  been  fairly  brought  up,  but  were 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  39 

lacking  in  the  elements  of  principle  and  self-respect,which 
invest  the  possessor  with  an  appearance  of  manly  dignity. 
Their  rich  dress  comported  oddly  with  their  want  of 
moral  tone,  and  they  appeared  more  like  a  band  of  free 
booters  than  men  who  could  walk  boldly  through  the 
community,  unchallenged  by  the  administrators  of  the 
law.  There  were  Irishmen,  and  Germans,  and  nonchalant 
Americans  among  the  motley  crew.  As  Horace  shook 
their  jeweled  hands,  he  felt  as  if  condemned  by  the 
demon  of  the  mountains  to  fondle  the  venomous  ser 
pents  called  forth  from  the  rocky  dens,  hooped  with  dia 
mond  rings  culled  from  their  impenetrable  caves.  No 
degree  of  ornamentation  could  have  rendered  their  touch 
aught  but  loathsome. 

"  Glad  to  see  yez,  Mr.  Lackfathe,"  said  Patrick  O'  Gull, 
"  and  hope  yez  may  be  lucky  enough  to  git  to  be  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Laehe  Club,  that  Mr.  Sindandy  has  been  tellin' 
yez  aboot.  Faith,  an'  the  Club  has  made  me  forchin,  it 
has.  When  I  corned  to  this  blessed  land  of  liberty,  I  was 
as  poor  as  Father  O'Flaherty's  cow  what  depended  for  her 
livin'  on  the  gift  of  paratee  skins  from  his  congregashin ; 
and  the  poor  baste  didn't  git  mooch,  for  the  paple  was  so 
poor  that  they  ginerally  ate  their  paratees  skins  and  all. 
i  ez  may  be  sure  that  when  I  corned  to  this  country  I  had 
to  work  hard  till  I  got  to  be  a  voter,  and  could  bring  to 
me  back  in  me  own  ward  a  coople  hundred  as  good  b'ys 
wid  the  ballot  as  ever  swinged  pick,  or  handled  a  shillaly 
in  a  'lection  fight.  Afther  a  while  I  got  in  wid  the  Lache 
Club,  arid  they  got  me  a  contract  to  clane  the  streets  in 
the  city,  and  I  made  me  ten  thousand  dollars  in  three 
months.  Sin'  that  I've  not  had  to  swing  the  pick  or 
shovel  eny  more  at  all,  for  the  Club  has  always  seen  to  it 
that  I've  had  plenty  of  contracts  and  good  pay.  God 
bless  America  for  the  free  ballot,  and  God  bless  the  Lache 
Club,  what  knows  how  to  apprasheate  a  man  that  sarves 
them  and  the  pooblic  well." 

Here  Otto  Swillager  took  up  the  thread  of  conversa 
tion,  addressing  Horace :  - 

"  I  zay,  mine  frent — vat  you  calls  him  ? — ah  !  Mr. 
Laghvathe — mebbe  you  dinks  Mr.  O'Kull  here  kets  all 
de  tings  vat  ams  goot.  as  de  Leege  Clubs  gives  to  de  be- 
ples.  Put  you  petter  not  tink  zo,  I  dells  you.  Yy, 


40  THE   LEECH   CLUB ;   OR,    THE 

mine  frent,  ven  I  gooms  from  Germany,  I  no  zo  much 
as  habs  de  bennies  to  py  von  glass  lager.  I  vorks,  and 
vorks,  and  vorks,  and  mine  bocket  geeps  as  embdy  as  never 
vas.  Put  pine-py  I  tints  it  pest  to  vills  mine  bocket  mit 
votes,  and  den  you  pets  I  kets  zelong.  De  Leege  Club 
zay  you  zuslit  de  man  ve  vants.  I  kets  de  contract,  I 
geeps  de  zaloon,  and  I  no  hab  to  bay  de  licenz.  I  zoon 
tints  dat  de  man  vat  games  de  votes  in  de  bocket,  garries 
de  moneys  dare  too.  Eh !" 

"  Put  a  stopper  on  that  rigmarole,  you  lager-tongued 
Dutchman !"  said  Jim  Hardnuckle,  a  native  American  or 
nament  of  the  worthy  Club.  "  I  thank  my  stars,  pals, 
that  I've  not  had  to  wade  into  the  good  graces  of  the  Club 
through  swill-barrels,  lager- vats,  gutters,  and  filthy  snow 
banks  in  the  streets.  These  are  the  boys  that  have  won 
ray  way  to  fortune," — and  he  exhibited  a  couple  of  heavv- 
looking  fists,  shaking  them  so  near  the  head. of  the  Irish 
man,  that  the  latter  ejaculated  : 

"Arrah,  ye  blatherin  spalpeen,  what  do  yez  mane?" 

"JSTo  harm,  Pat,"  said  Jim.  "Don't  you  remember 
the  'lection  day  when  we  cleaned  out  them  challengers 
that  was  tryin'  to  bluff  off  from  votin'  the  fifty  emigrants 
just  arrived  from  Ireland  that  you  brought  to  the  polls  ?" 

"  Yes,  well  do  I,  and  yez  behaved  like  a  broth  of  a  boy, 
as  yez  are,  Jim." 

"  I  reckon,  Pat,  you'd  a'  come  out  at  the  little  end  of 
the  horn  with  your  votes  on  that  day,  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  me  and  some  of  the  other  '  boys.'  " 

"  Faith,  and  that  we  would.  Ye're  as  yoosef ul  as  ony 
of  us,  Jim." 

The  party  had  proceeded  to  the  shore  of  the  lake  here 
tofore  mentioned,  and  some  of  them,  among  whom  was 
Mr.  Swillager,  were  seated  in  the  shade  on  the  rocks 
which  jutted  into  the  water.  Whether  Jim  Hardnuckle 
was  afraid  he  might  become  rusted  in  pugilistic  science, 
or  whether  from  mere  force  of  habit,  cannot  at  this  time 
be  definitely  known,  but  he  indulged  in  another  flourish 
of  his  fists,  this  time  bringing  them  into  unpleasant  prox 
imity  to  the  head  of  the  German.  The  latter  was  evi 
dently  not  so  much  accustomed  to  such  things  as  the 
Irishman,  for  he  dodged  and  swayed  so  far  over  that  he 
lost  his  balance,  and  turned  a  summersault  into  'the  lake. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  41 

A  clamor  of  alarm  was  raised  by  the  company,  the  geese 
in  the  lake  set  up  a  cackling,  the  turkeys  about  the  prem 
ises  gobbled,  the  dogs  barked,  and  all  was  commotion 
where  only  a  moment  before  reigned  the  native  stillness 
of  the  mountains.  However  well  the  German  might 
have  been  trained  in  the  art  of  drinking  lager,  and  carry 
ing  votes  in  his  pocket,  his  education  respecting  water 
had  been  sadly  neglected ;  at  least  in  regard  to  keeping 
his  head  above  it.  It  was  quite  plain  that  he  had  never 
had  much  to  do  with  water,  judging  from  his  general  ap 
pearance  and  his  fat,  unwieldy  person.  It  was  evident 
that  lager  was  his  native  element,  and  had  he  fallen  into 
a  lake  of  that  liquor,  it  is  probable  that  he  would  soon 
have  extricated  himself  by  drinking  it  dry.  But,  though 
he  may  have  been  of  sufficient  capacity  to  exhaust  the 
lake  in  his  huge  person,  water  evidently  did  not  agree 
with  him,  and  so  much  of  it  would  not  remain  on  his 
stomach. 

Floundering  about  in  ten  feet  of  water,  clutching  above 
the  surface  as  if  he  expected  to  get  hold  of  a  sunbeam  and 
thus  sustain  his  huge  body,  he  seemed  in  imminent  dan 
ger  of  drowning,  for  none  of  his  comrades  appeared  dis 
posed  to  soil  their  gaudy  plumage  by  plunging  in 
to  his  rescue.  Doubtless  they  feared  to  grapple  in 
the  water  with  such  a  huge  hippopotamus.  Mr.  Sin- 
dandy  looked  on  in  mute,  helpless  despair,  as  if  al 
ready  taking  an  inventory  of  the  number  of  votes  that 
would  be  lost  with  the  German,  and  placing  the  same  to 
the  account  of  profit  and  loss.  The  shore,  but  a  few  feet 
off,  was  like  the  bottle  behind  the  counter  to  the  poor, 
penniless  inebriate,  suffering  from  the  effects  of  a  de 
bauch.  He  could  almost  touch  it,  but  grasp  it  he  could 
not.  His  case  was  a  symbol  of  the  fate  that  awaited  the 
iniquitous  organization  to  which  he  belonged.  While 
seated  on  a  footing  apparently  as  secure  as  the  eternal 
hills,  he  had  all  at  once  found  himself  standing  on  what 
was  to  him  the  same  as  nothing.  His  inactive  comrades 
doubtless  said  to  themselves :  It  cannot  be  possible  that 
he  can  go  under  with  the  firm  rocks  just  at  his  fingers' 
ends !  And  yet  he  was  going  under  before  their  eyes, 
almost  within  their  reach.  The  rocks  are  near,  but  he 
is  not  on  the  rocks.  And  so  it  will  be  with  you,  ye  false 


42  THE   LEECH   CLUB  |    OR,    THE 

Leech  Club !  you  may  see  the  firm  rocks  of  virtue  all 
around  you,  but  you  are  not  standing  on  them.  One  of 
these  days  you  will  find  your  unstable  foundations  all  at 
once  slipping  from  under  you,  and  yourselves  floundering 
about  in  an  element  that  you  know  not  the  nature  of. 
You  will  find  yourselves  overwhelmed  by  a  moral  flood, 
to  which  you  have  so  long  been  unaccustomed  that  you 
cannot  swim  in  it.  It  will  matter  little  then  to  look 
about  you  and  say  :  We  can  almost  touch  with  the  tips  of 
our  fingers  the  engines  of  Government  which  we  have  so 
long  run.  It  cannot  be  possible  that  we  have  lost  our 
hold  on  these  forever.  See  how  close  they  are.  Strain 
every  nerve  to  get  hold  of  them  again.  It  cannot  be 
possible  that  we  must  sink  here  with  our  feet  almost  on 
the  rocks,  and  our  hands  almost  grasping  them.  But  you 
don't  quite  touch  them,  do  you !  and  they  might  as  well 
be  a  thousand  miles  off  for  all  the  good  they  do  you. 
You  might  as  well  be  struggling  in  mid-ocean  as  here 
with  the  firm  ground  you  have  walked  on  just  beyond 
grasping  reach,  and  the  bottom  of  the  lake  which  is  en 
gulfing  you,  just  far  enough  down  that  your  toes  can 
not  touch  it,  and  the  friends  you  know,  just  far  enough 
off  not  to  be  able  to  lend  you  a  helping  hand. 

The  struggling  German  was  about  sinking  for  the  last 
time,  and  Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  were  about  to  rush  in 
to  the  rescue,  and  thus  do  for  him  what  his  more  intimate 
friends  were  too  cowardly  to  do,  when  a  large  Newfound 
land  dog,  which  had  been  attracted  to  the  spot  by  tlie 
splashing,  plunged  in,  seized  him  by  the  clothing,  and 
gave  him  such  an  impetus  toward  the  shore,  that  the  men 
standing  there  were  able  to  get  hold  of  him.  He  was 
dragged  out  in  an  unconscious,  flabby  condition,  the  starch 
having  evidently  been  all  water-soaked  out  of  him.  His 
companions  immediately  resorted  to  the  most  common 
methods  of  resuscitation  in  such  cases. 

"Here,"  said  one,  "  is  a  barrel.  Let's  roll  him  on  this. 
I  guess  it's  an  old  lager-cask,  and  he'll  be  sure  to  smell  the 
beer,  and  come  to  life." 

In  due  course  of  time  the  German  was  restored  to  con 
sciousness,  and,  feeling  somewhat  gorged  with  the  quan 
tity  of  water  he  had  involuntarily  swallowed,  seemed  to 
be  in  doubt  whether  he  had  just  recovered  from  an  ine- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  43 

briation  caused  by  imbibing  an  extra  quantity  of  his  favor 
ite  beverage,  or  was  suffering  from  some  other  cause.  Jim 
Ilardnuckle  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  penitent  for  be 
ing  the  cause  of  the  catastrophe  which  came  so  near  ter 
minating  fatally,  but  rather  felt  disposed  to  joke  about 
the  matter. 

"  Well,  old  '  Sourkrout,"  said  Jim,  "  I  reckon  you 
was  water-logged  for  the  first  time  in  your  life,  but  no 
one  can  say  you  was  lagered." 

This  pun  occasioned  a  general  laugh. 

"  Bad  cess  to  yez,  Jim,"  said  Patrick  O'Gull,  "  why 
can't  yez  lave  the  exercisin'  of  them  fists  for  the  spal 
peens  what  interfere  wid  'lections  by  challengin'  honest 
voters,  and  not  be  practizin'  on  yer  friends  ?" 

"  I  think,"  said  Jim,  "  I've  done  a  real  service  to  our 
Christian  friend,  the  Dutchman ;  for  I've  showed  him 
that  he  can  git  dead  drunk  on  wrater,  if  he  only  drinks 
enough  of  it;  and  he  says  that  he  can't  drink  lager 
enough  to  make  him  tight.  After  this,  when  he's  too 
fur  from  a  brewrery,  and  wants  to  get  on  a  spree,  all  he 
has  to  do  is  to  make  a  dive  into  the  water,  and  wait  for 
some  big  Newfoundland  dog  to  come  and  pull  him  out." 

"  You  bet,"  said  another,  "  he  never  drinks  as  much 
water  as  that  agin  unless  it's  forced  down  his  throat  from 
the  hose  of  a  steam  fire-engine." 

"  Mine  Gott,  mine  frents,"  said  the  German,  "  de  tog 
hab  more  bluck  dan  all  yous  but  togetter,  py  tarn !" 

"  The  dog,"  said  Jim,  "  didn't  want  you  to  spile  the 
water  that  he  has  to  drink." 

"  Yes,  old  Limburger,"  said  another,  "I'll  warrant 
you've  spiled  all  the  water  in  this  pond.  Don't  you  hear 
them  geese  swearin'  at  you  for  'pregnatin'  their  drink 
with  villainous  lager  and  Limburger  cheese  ?  I  s'pose 
you  can  understand  them,  for  they  say  goose-talk  and 
t)utch  is  all  the  same  thing." 

"  You  not  know  so  mugch  as  von  tarn  goose  himself. 
To  save  a  frent  from  trown,  you  not  py  stan." 

"  Oh !  now,  don't  say  you  nix-fy-stan  the  geese.  That's 
too  thin." 

"  Mine  Gott,  vot  a  fool !  I  zay  you  not  py  stan  to  save 
von  frent  from  trown  in  de  trink — de  vater." 

"  Oh !  he  says  he  wants  to  go  to  town  to  git  a  drink 


44.  THE  LEECH   CLUB;   OK,   THE 

of  water.  Why  don't  you  take  a  swig  from  tlie  pond  ? 
You'll  find  it's  both  victuals  and  drink ;  for  it's  a  mixture 
of  sourkrout,  Limburger  and  lager." 

"  Oh !  my,  shall  I  pust  mit  mad  at  von  pig  fool !" 

"  Well,  I  declare !  now  he  wants  to  go  on  a-  bust  lik'e 
mad,  and  get  big  and  full.  I  thought  he  got  full  enough, 
and  come  near  enough  to  bustin'  with  water." 

"  Mine  Gott !  save  me  from  prake  his  head.  For  von 
shtone  I  shtoop." 

"  If  soup  is  what  you  want,  the  pond  is  the  place  to 
get  it.  It's  good  sourkrout  and  Limburger  soup.  Take 
a  drink  of  it." 

"  You  pe  von  idyut.  You  stays  here  and  trinks  de 
vater  you  ligs.  I  koes  to  de  house  and  trinks  te  prandy." 

Saying  this,  the  German  gathered  himself  up,  and 
trudged  away  in  high  disdain,  and  he  was  soon  followed 
by  all  the  company  except  Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic.  Af 
ter  the  gang  had  gotten  out  of  hearing,  Horace  said : 

"  I  am  somewhat  astonished,  Mr.  Graphic,  to  find  a  gen 
tleman  of  your  appearance  and  tone  domiciled  with  such 
a  crew  as  those  who  have  just  taken  their  disagreeable 
presence  from  us." 

"  My  friend,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  I  am  an  artist  pur 
suing  my  vocation  in  sketching  with  brush  and  pencil 
here  in  the  mountains.  I  not  only  have  splendid  natural 
subjects  here,  but  also  find  these  people  an  exciting  study. 
I  don't  know  where  a  man  of  my  profession  could  find  a 
laore  pregnant  locality." 

"  I  have,"  said  Horace,  "  heard  of  the  operations  of 
this  Club  before,  but  was  not  aware  that  they  had  any 
such  den  in  the  mountains  as  this ;  nor  that  their  connec 
tions  were  as  extensive,  and  embrace  so  many  classes  of 
the  community  as  represented  by  that  double-distilled  es 
sence  of  snobbery,  Mr.  Sindandy." 

"  While  there  is  no  especial  effort  made,"  said  Mr. 
Graphic,  "  to  keep  the  existence  of  this  Club  House  a 
secret,  there  is  no  effort  made  to  advertise  its  where 
abouts  ;  and  owing  to  its  obscure  position,  it  is  compara 
tively  little  known." 

"  W  ell,  Mr.  Graphic,"  said  Horace,  "  I  have  observed 
the  corruption  of  mankind  till  I  have  about  lost  all  faith 
in  human  nature.  About  two  years  ago  I  left  my  native 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  45 

village,  and  repaired  to  a  large  city  to  practice  my  profes 
sion.  This  summer  I  came  out  here  to  spend  a  couple  of 
months,  thinking  that  a  sojourn  among  the  honest  moun 
taineers  would  refresh  me,  and  give  me  renewed  faith  in 
man.  But  what  is  the  first  discovery  I  make  ?  Why, 
that  there  is  an  organized  system  of  corruption  in  the 
country  worse  than  I  ever  dreamed  of.  And  that  the 
very  men  who  are  engaged  in  it,  instead  of  making  it  a 
secret,  flaunt  it  in  your  face  as  if  it  were  something  meri 
torious  rather  than  infamous.  The  fact  that  these  men 
talk  of  their  iniquities  so  openly,  rather  leads  me  to  sus 
pect  that  I  have  fallen  among  a  lot  of  lunatics,  who  are 
affected  with  the  hallucination  that  they  are  governing 
the  State,  and  that  all  they  have  said  are  but  the  unreal 
vagaries  of  insanity ;  for  it  would  certainly  seem  that  men 
to  be  successful  in  such  iniquities  must  necessarily  be 
more  secret  about  their  mode  of  operations." 

"  What  you  have  heard  here,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  is 
but  too  true ;  and  the  actors  in  this  drama  are  at  least 
sane  enough  to  fasten  themselves  like  leeches  on  the  pub 
lic  treasury,  from  which  they  draw  the  funds  which  sup 
port  their  enormous  extravagance.  Their  operations  and 
connections  are  too  extended  to  admit  of  secrecy.  Any 
attempt  to  keep  their  matters  from  the  public  would 
surely  be  attended  with  exposure,  for  some  one  would  cer 
tainly  turn  informer.  Therefore  they  put  on  a  bold  front, 
and  as  nobody  is  under  the  bond  of  secrecy,  no  one  has 
any  particular  object  to  go  into  exposures.  Doubtless, 
many  members  of  the  Club  regard  their  proceedings  as 
perfectly  right  and  proper,  for  the  very  reason  that  they 
are  done  so  openly.  Such  a  brainless  fellow  as  that  Sin- 
dandy  is  of  much  more  value  to  the  Club  than  a  man  of 
greater  ability  ;  for  he  apparently  has  not  sense  enough 
to  distinguish  between  right  and  wrong,  and  he  will  talk 
of  the  most  infamous  public  robberies  with  all  the 
naivete  of  one  who  is  relating  some  meritorious,  religious 
enterprise  in  which  he  is  engaged.  Such  stupendous  in 
nocence  deceives  more  people  than  you  dream  of  into  an 
acquiescence  in  the  idea  that  the  ini'amous  practices  that 
he  speaks  of  with  such  unsophisticated  simplicity,  are 
probably  entirely  legitimate  in  public  affairs.  I  hardly 


46  THE   LEECH    CLUB;   OK,   THE 

know  what  to  think  of  the  fellow ;  whether  he  is  most 
knave  or  most  fool." 

"  What  do   you  think  the  world  is  coming  to,  Mr. 
Graphic,"   said   Horace.      "  This    deterioration   of    the 
human   race   is  observable  not   only  in  .public  affairs, 
in  which  both  political  parties  seem  equally  venal, — it 
pervades  everything.     It  is   to  be  seen  in  business,  in 
church   affairs,  and   in   the  family  circle.     If  you  em 
ploy  a  clerk  in  your   store,   you   have  to   set   up   safe 
guards,  to   keep  him  from  robbing  you ;    if  you  are  a 
stockholder  in  a  bank,  you  are   sleeping  on  a  constant 
rack,  in  view  of  the  probability  that  the  cashier  will  em 
bezzle  the  funds ;  if  you  have  a  competence,  and  invest 
it  in  real  estate,  you  are  troubled  lest  the  rascality  of  pub 
lic  officials  may  leave  the  title  imperfect.     Every  man 
apparently  seems  to  be  aiming  to  enrich  himself  by  what 
ever  means  he  may.    No  one  seems  to  act  on  the  assump 
tion  that  his  fellows  will  deal  honestly  by  him  from  prin 
ciple  ;  and  acting  with  this  view,  each  seems  determined 
to  appropriate  to  his  own  use  whatever  comes  in  his  way. 
Honesty  is  looked  upon  as  lunacy.     For  instance,  if  a 
man  through  any  transaction  gets  possession  of  a  large 
amount  of  money  which  the  law  would  allow  him  to 
keep,  but  which  does  not  morally  belong  to  him,  and 
should  he  restore  it  to  the  proper  owners  simply  on  prin 
ciple,  he   is  looked  upon  either  as   a  sentimental  soft 
head,  who  desires  to  build  up  a  vain  reputation  for  hon 
esty,  or  else  as  a  positive  lunatic,  who  does  not  possess  the 
right  kind  of  faculties  for  a  successful  business  man._ 
What  is  called  the  world,  cannot  appreciate  any  act  of 
genuine  honesty,  regarding  it  either  as  the  vagary  of  a 
crazy  man,  or  the  hypocrisy  of  one  who  has  some  ulterior 
design,  intending  to  profit  by  it  in  some  way  in  the  fu 
ture.   -People  appear  to  have   no  moral  regard  for  the 
right  of  property.     Indeed,  except  as  we  are  absolutely 
protected  by  the  letter  of  the  law,  we  might  as  well  have 
relapsed  into  barbarism  ;  for  men  will  appropriate  to  their 
own  use  everything  they  can ;  the  only  question  arising 
in  their  minds  is,  not,  '  Does  this  rightfully  belong  to  me  ? 
but,  <  Can  I  hold  it  ?' 

"As  regards  property,  the    custom  governing  men 
seems  to  be  a  system  of  reprisals.     A  man  loses  to-day 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  47 

through  the  sharpness  of  an  individual  with  whom  he  has 
dealings,  who  has  some  advantage  of  him,  and  takes  it. 
To-morrow  the  loser  sees  an  opportunity  to  make  up  his 
loss  by  a  similar  act  of  chicanery;  and  it  matters  not  that 
it  is  not  the  same  person  who  fleeced  him.     He  can  make 
up  his  loss  by  just  such  a  trick  as  was  practiced  on  him 
self,  and  he  does  it.     There  is  little  doing  business  on  the 
principle  that  those  with  whom  we  have  dealings,  do  right 
simply  because  it  is  right*  Each  one  occupies  his  busi 
ness  position  as  if  it  were  a  fortress,  and  sets  up  his  de 
fences  on  every  hand.     If   he  leaves  some  salient  point 
undefended,  he  expects  some  business  assailant  to  storm 
that  portion  of  his  works,  and  capture  a  part  of  his  funds. 
If  he  escapes  such  a  misfortune,  he  attributes  it  not  to 
the  forbearance  or  honesty  of  the  one  who  had  the  op 
portunity,  but  to  his  want  of  generalship.     He  is  con 
stantly  on  the  alert  not  only  to  defend  his  own  position, 
but  to  seek  a  favorable  opportunity  to  make  a  sortie  on 
some  weak  point  of  an  antagonist.     ~Not  only  must  he 
watch  those  who  would  assail  him  from  without;    he 
must  be  constantly  on  the  guard  against  treachery  in  his 
own  garrison.     Just  as  he  considers  the  effects  of  other 
owners  his  own  lawf  ifl.  plunder,  provided  he  can  get  them 
in  a  business  way,  so  his  own  employes  are  apt  to  look 
upon  his  funds  as  something  on  which  they  have  the  privi 
lege  of  foraging.     By  his  method  of  doing  business  he  has 
taught  them  that  the  only  test  of  ownership  is  possession 
under  circumstances  that  will  not  render  them  liable  to 
be  dealt  with  at  the  hands  of  the  law.    The  villainy  their 
employer  teaches  them  they  execute,  embezzling  his  funds 
as  remorselessly  as  he  takes  those  of  his  fellow  business 
men  by  technically-legal  means. 

"  Observe  how  men  violate  contracts  when  it  no  longer 
suits  their  purposes  to  fulfill  them.  See,  when  a  contract 
ils  made,  how  provisions  are  piled  upon  provisions  in  or 
der  that  there  may  be  no  loophole  left  for  either  party  to 
creep  out.  The  most  solemn  obligations  have  no  weight 
whatever  with  men  who  think  it  to  their  interest  to  re 
pudiate  a  contract ;  provided  they  can  do  it  without  in 
juring  themselves.  This  idea  is  fully  recognized  in  mak 
ing  contracts ;  and  provisions  are  made  by  which  it  is  in 
tended  that  the  party  who  recedes  shall  be  thrown  into 


48  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

an  abyss  or  encounter  a  spring-gun,  the  discharge  of  which 
shall  slaughter  him.  We  might  say  that  the  rule  govern 
ing  the  making  of  contracts,  is  to  drive  full  of  sharp 
spikes  the  only  road  over  which  parties  have  a  chance  to 
retreat,  that  they  may  be  impaled  in  case  they  attempt  to 
repudiate  their  obligations.  Whoever,  in  making  a  con 
tract,  neglects  to  dig  a  pit,  to  set  a  spring-gun,  to  obstruct 
the  retrograde  path  with  chevaux-de-frise,  to  destroy  the 
person  who  would  repudiate  it,  only  incurs  the  derision 
of  his  neighbors  in  case  the  compact  is  broken  to  his  dis 
advantage. 

"  What  a  glorious  world  this  would  be  if  men  could 
agree  to  deal  with  each  other  without  this  complication 
of  chicanery.  And  they  would  be  just  as  well  on"  pecun 
iarily  in  the  end,  and  infinitely  better  morally.  The  en 
ergies  they  expend  in  trying  to  over-reach  each  other, 
could  be  devoted  to  the  legimate  improvement  of  their 
fortunes.  The  material  they  use  in  fortifying  themselves 
against  the  rascalities  which  they  infer  their  neighbors 
will  commit  upon  them,  because  they  practice  just  such 
things  themselves,  might  be  saved.  There  certainly  would 
then  be  a  greater  amount  of  material  produced  ;  and  conse 
quently  there  would  be  more  wealtn  in  the  country  for 
men  to  accumulate.  It  could  be  gotten  honestly  with 
less  labor  than  is  now  expended  to  get  it  dishonestly. 
Employes,  observing  a  high  moral  tone  among  capitalists 
and  owners,  would  fall  into  habits  of  honesty,  and  there 
would  be  fewer  defalcations. 

"  But  the  demoralization  observable  in  the  business  and 
political  world,  finds  a  counterpart  in  the  social  and  re 
ligious  community.  Wives  have  proved  false  to  their 
husbands,  and  husbands  to  their  wives,  to  such  an  extent 
that  one  may  be  led  to  doubt  wrhether  there  is  any  longer 
any  virtue  left  in  either  sex.  Religious  societies  have  be 
come  impure ;  and  I  can  hardly  see  what  the  whole1 
world  taken  together  amounts  to,  except  it  be  a  raging, 
seething,  putrid  caldron  of  perdition." 

Horace  ceased,  apparently  exhausted  with  the  workings 
of  an  agonized  spirit,  and  Mr.  Graphic  said : 

"  Ah !  my  friend,  what  you  say  is  true  with  certain  re 
strictions  ;  but  you  do  not  take  a  healthy  view  of  matters. 
Things  are  by  no  means  so  bad  as  you  picture  them . 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  4:9 

Look  about  you,  and  you  will  see  that  even  this  corrupt 
Leech  Club,  who  now,  in  a  great  measure,  control  public 
affairs,  find  in  Society  a  check  on  their  iniquities ;  for 
they  dare  not  proceed  beyond  a  certain  limit." 

Horace  made  no  reply  to  this,  apparently  having  no 
desire  to  pursue  the  subject  further,  and  closed  by  say 
ing: 

"  Well,  I  came  out  here  in  the  mountains  to  escape  for 
a  while  the  influence  of  the  vortex  of  corruption,  and  am 
like  the  man  who  came  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho, 
and  fell  among  thieves.  I  think  you  will  prove  to  be  my 
good  Samaritan.  I  have  been  invited  to  become  an  in 
mate  of  this  establishment  for  a  time,  and  as  there  seems 
to  be  no  escaping  from  the  city  of  destruction,  I  might  as 
well  stop  here  as  anywhere.  I  shall  at  least  have  an  op 
portunity  here  of  seeing  how  bad  the  very  worst  phase  of 
mankind  is ;  for  I  take  it  that  none  worse  can  be  found, 
not  even  in  the  penitentiary." 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

A   MIXED    PARTY. 

THE  "  castle"  of  the  Leech  Club  was  situated  some 
three  or  four  miles  from  the  nearest  settlements  of  the 
rural  population  in  that  region.  The  members  of  the 
Club  had  made  some  acquaintances  among  the  natives. 
Considerable  of  their  supplies  were  obtained  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  the  people  of  the  vicinity  frequently 
visited  the  Club  House  to  dispose  of  their  chickens,  eggs, 
vegetables  and  other  articles  for  immediate  use.  The  gen 
eral  impression  prevailed  among  the  country  people  that 
the  Club  House  was  simply  the  residence  of  some  city 
folks,  who  located  in  that  out-of-the-way  place  in  order  that 
they  might  have  a  quiet  and  cool  retreat  for  spending  the 
summer  months.  A  very  rough  and  obscure  road  led  to 
the  settlements,  and  this  was  known  only  to  those  who 
had  visited  the  Club  House  for  the  purpose  of  trafficking 
in  rural  produce,  or  had  been  invited  there  on  some  fes- 
3 


50  THE    LEECH   CLUB;   OR,    THE 

tive  occasion.  It  must  not  be  inferred  that  the  native  in 
habitants  were  all  farmers  in  moderate  circumstances- 
There  were  a  very  few  men  of  large  wealth  in  the  sur 
rounding  country,  who  had  grown  rich  in  the  business  of 
tanning  leather.  The  tannery  business  was  at  one  time 
a  large  interest  in  that  section  of  country  ;  though  of  late 
years  it  has  greatly  fallen  into  decay,  owing  to  the  ex 
haustion  of  the  hemlock  bark. 

The  native  population  are  quite  socially  disposed,  meet 
ing  frequently  for  enjoyment  at  "quiltings,"  "apple- 
cuts,"  and  other  frolicsome  gatherings.  There  are  gen 
erally  two  or  three  in  every  neighborhood  who  can  saw 
the  violin,  and  seldom  is  there  a  considerable  company 
together  but  at  least  one  or  two  fiddlers  will  be  found 
among  the  number.  Though  the  girls  may  have  come 
together  ostensibly  to  quilt,  or  both  girls  and  young  men 
may  have  assembled  for  the  seeming  purpose  of  peeling 
apples,  the  main  object  is  that  which  most  concerns  aft 
young  people.  Should  a  stranger  peep  in  at  the  window, 
instead  of  seeing  a  lot  of  demure  young  women  industri 
ously  plying  their  needles  around  a  quilt,  or  a  circle  of 
both  sexes  peeling  and  slicing  apples,  he  will  more  likely 
see  a  circle  standing  upon  the  floor  with  hands  linked, 
surrounding  a  young  man  and  woman  in  the  centre  of 
the  ring,  their  voices  joining  in  some  such  chorus  as  the 
following : 

Green  grow  the  rushes,  O, 

Green  grow  the  rushes,  O, 

Kiss  her  quick  and  let  her  go, 

Don't  muss  her  ruffles,  O.  . 

Then  if  his  acoustic  organs  are  ordinarily  acute,  he 
will  hear  a  smack  that  will  remind  him  of  anything  but 
dried  apples.  One  of  the  parties  is  released  from  du 
rance,  within  the  girdling  ring,  by  the  magic  process  of 
a  kiss,  and  the  circle  renews  its  rotation,  this  time,  per 
haps,  singing  something  like  the  following : 

Now  the  buckwheat's  in  the  barn, 
The  best  produce  grows  on  the  farm ; 
Now's  the  time  for  you  to  choose ; 
Now's  the  time  to  win  or  lose ; 
To  get  the  mitten  is  no  disgrace, 
For  oftentimes  it's  been  the  case. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  51 

If  you  were  where  you  could  hear,  but  not  see,  the  per 
formance,  you  might  infer  that  the  young  fellow  had 
gotten  the  mitten,  and  in  a  rage  had  attempted  to  fire  off 
a  pistol  at  some  one ;  for  you  can  plainly  hear  a  noise  like 
the  explosion  of  a  percussion  cap.  But  don't  be  alarmed ; 
the  lady  smiles,  and  the  gentleman  looks  as  though  he 
would  like  to  receive  a  pair  of  such  mittens  as  that. 
Again  the  circle  moves  on,  and  you  hear  the  following 
in  lively  chorus: 

Ripest  apples  soon  are  rotten, 
Hottest  love  is  soonest  cold ; 
Young  men's  vows  are  soon  forgotten, — 
Pray,  pretty  maid,  don't  be  too  bold. 

You  immediately  declare  to  yourself  that  it  is  no  rotten 
apple  that  you  hear  some  young  man  smack  his  lips  over ; 
and  that  notwithstanding  the  caution  to  the  pretty  maid 
not  to  "be  too  bold,"  she  did  not  hesitate  to  put  the 
tempting  fruit  to  his  lips. 

Keeping  your  place  a  while  longer  in  this  pardonable 
evesdropping,  you  will  hear  the  turn,  turn,  turn,  of  the 
violin,  as  the  hddler  touches  its  strings,  tuning  it  for  the 
dance.  Pretty  soon  you  hear  the  "honors  all,"  of  the 
musician,  and  the  scraping  of  the  dancers  as  they  bow 
to  each  other.  Then  commence  the  sweet  tones  of  the 
violin,  and  the  musician  sings  out  in  a  clear,  distinct  voice : 
"  Tops  right  and  left,"  and  you  hear  the  pit-pat  of  the 
dancers'  ±eet,  and  you  know  that  they  are  sailing  for 
ward  and  backward  in  the  exhilarating  saltation. 

Not  the  least  pleasant  part  of  the  performance  is  the 
closing  of  the  party,  when  the  young  men  "  go  home 
with  the  girls."  With  only  the  owls  and  the  katy-dids 
to  witness  the  rapturous  words  of  the  swains,  it  may  be 
inferred  that  there  are  many  things  said  not  intended  f 01 
the  ear  of  the  reader.  He  may  ask  the  nocturnal  wit 
nesses,  but  his  only  satisfaction  from  the  owl  will  be  the 
Yankee  response  of  asking  another  question :  "  Who  ? 
who?  who?"  while  the  insects  on  the  trees  will  give  him 
such  contradictory  information  as:  " Katy-did, "Katy-did ; 
Katy-didn't,  Katy-didn't ;  Katy-did,  Katy-didn't ;  Katy 
did;  Katy-didn't;  Katy-did,  she-did;  Katy-didn't,  she- 


52  THE   LEECH   CLUB;   OR,   THE 

didn't ;  I-say-she-did,  I-say-she-did ;  I-say-she-didn't,  I-say- 
Ehe-didn't ;  'she-did ;  she-didn't." 

The  reader  will  be  but  little  the  wiser  from  anything 
he  may  learn  from  the  taciturn  crwl,  or  the  disputacious 
katy-dids.  If  he  wants  to  know  whether  Katy,  or  Mary 
or  any  of  the  other  girls  did  consent  to  the  proposals  of 
their  accompanying  swains,  he  must  observe  the  crop  of 
weddings  which  the  parson  reaps,  when  "  the  buckwheat's 
in  the  barn." 

Such  are  the  innocent  amusements  .of  the  people  in 
that  rural  region.  The  day  following  one  of  these  social 
gatherings,  nnds  the  young  men  back  in  the  fields,  at 
tending  to  the  crops,  or  "  logging  "  on  the  new  clearing, 
or  in  the  barn  swinging  the  flail ;  while  the  girls,  who  do 
not  shirk  all  the  cares  of  the  household  upon  their 
mothers,  are  engaged  in  their  domestic  affairs,  milking 
the  cows,  or  making  the  spinning-wheel  hum  to  supply 
yarn  for  the  warm  stockings  and  mittens  for  the  coming 
winter — for  the  young  ladies  know  how  to  give  mittens 
that  are  pleasant  to  the  young  men,  as  well  as  some  that 
are  not. 

The  Leech  Club  delighted  in  astonishing  the  natives 
with  a  splendid  entertainment.  Not  long  after  Horace 
had  become  domiciled  in  the  establishment,  preparations 
were  made  for  a  grand  party.  As-  the  number  present 
would  probably  exceed  the  capacity  of  the  building,  a 
pavilion  was  erected  on  a  glade  near  the  house.  A  floor 
was  laid  for  dancing,  and  canvas  was  spread  to  keep  off 
the  night  dews.  An  elevated  platform  was  erected  about 
midway  of  the  pavilion,  on  one  side,  for  the  musicians. 

Everything  being  in  readiness,  the  country  people  who 
were  invited,  began  to  assemble  early  in  the  afternoon ; 
for  it  would  be  dangerous  traveling  the  mountain  trail 
which  led  to  the  Club  House  in  the  night.  They  came  in 
lumbering  conveyances,  such  as  could  best  travel  the 
mountain  roads  ;  some  on  horseback  ;  while  others  hav 
ing  left  their  teams  in  good  care  at  a  point  where  the 
way  became  most  difficult,  trudged  the  remainder  of  the 
distance  on  foot.  Miss  Shoeman,  the  rich  tanner's  daugh 
ter,  and  Miss  Greenwood,  the  daughter  of  the  rich  lumber 
man,  came  together  on  a  sort  of  "  buckboard,"  drawn  by 
a  span  of  horses  driven  by  an  experienced  mountaineer. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  53 

As  the  clumsy  vehicle  trundled  over  the  rough  trail,  the 
young  ladies  danced  up  and  down  in  their  seat  at  a  rate 
that  would  have  put  to  the  test  the  stays  of  tight-laced 
city  belles.  But  they  did  not  seem  to  mind  this  tossing 
about  in  the  least,  their  rosy  cheeks  showing  that  they 
were  inured  to  the -rough  usage  of  the  mountain  roads. 
On  arriving  at  the  Club  House,  all  were  provided  with 
refreshments  and  comfortable  quarters  till  evening,  when 
the  festivities  were  to  begin. 

The  tall  peaks  around  threw  their  giant  shadows  down 
upon  the  landscape  ;  the  sun  retreated  slowly  below  the 
western  horizon,  saluting  the  salient  crests  of  the  moun 
tains  with  a  radiant,  farewell  kiss,  as  he  bid  them  good 
night;  and  then  the  goddess  of  slumber  advanced  and 
threw  her  mantle  over  the  scene,  and  the  sombre  hills 
around  wore  the  appearance  of  repose.  Now  there  was 
a  blast  qf  trumpets  at  the  pavilion,  and  soon  there  was  a 
swarming  of  people  in  the  spacious  bower,  as  of  the 
gathering  of  many  clans.  They  came  forth  from  the 
Club  House  and  its  piazzas,  and  from  many  a  cozy 
nook  about  the  grounds,  where  they  had  been  reposing 
for  several  hours,  to  join  in  the  revelry  of  the  evening. 
The  gentlemen  gave  their  arms  to  the  ladies,  and  the 
first  thing  was  a  grand  promenade  up  and  down  the  pa 
vilion. 

This  afforded  a  good  opportunity  for  an  observer  to 
survey  the  company.  It  was  a  motley  and  heterogeneous 
assemblage.  There  were  the  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the 
Leech  Club  dressed  in  the  very  gorgeousness  of  extrava 
gance.  Some  of  the  gentlemen  wore  white  pants  and 
vests,  with  dark  coats ;  others  sported  a  dress  in  which 
the  prevailing  color  was  dark  ;  while  some  were  dressed 
chiefly  in  light-colored  stuff — all  of  the  richest  material. 
Their  hair  and  whiskers  were  dressed  in  the  most 
elaborate  manner,  presenting  every  phase  of  hirsute 
fashion.  The  wearing  of  the  mustache  predominated. 
All  these  gentlemen  fairly  sparkled  with  jewelry  and 
diamonds.  There  was  no  spot  on  their  persons  where 
there  could  be  a  reasonable  excuse  for  putting  some  rich 
jewel  or  golden  ornament,  but  had  it. 

And  the  ladies  of  the  Leech  Club  surpassed  the  gen 
tlemen  thereof  in  richness  of  attire,  for  the  reason  that 


54  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

the  ingenuity  of  the  fair  sex  has  invented  more  methods 
of  heaping  extraneous  treasures  upon  their  persons  than 
men  have  ever  yet  been  able  to  devise  for  loading  theirs. 
Doubtless  many  ladies  who  have  the  means  of  grati 
fying  this  innate  desire  for  display,  have  often  lamented 
that  they  have  not  the  strength  of  camels,  to  carry  several 
hundred  pounds  of  ornaments.  If  the  moral  worth  of 
these  Leech  Club  ladies  had  compared  favorably  with  the 
pecuniary  cost  of  their  diamonds  and  attire,  their  price 
would  have  been  incalculable.  With  their  long  trailing 
dresses,  and  their  immense  head-gear  of  chignons  and 
false  curls,  they  cut  a  majestic  figure  as  they  promenaded 
down  the  pavilion,  hanging  upon  the  arms  of  their  gal 
lants.  One  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  fashions  of  this 
period  is  the  excrescence  of  flummery  attached  to  the 
back  of  a  lady's  dress  just  below  the  waist,  giving  it  much 
the  appearance  of  a  hump  on  a  camel's  back. 

The  dress  of  the  country  people  was  in  striking  con 
trast  with  the  gaudy  attire  of  this  new-fledged  aristocracy 
from  the  city.  The  young  men  from  the  rural  settle 
ments,  it  is  true,  had  on  their  holiday  raiment ;  but  this 
bore  no  more  comparison  to  that  of  their  city  competitors 
than  does  the  plumage  of  the  useful,  domesticated  birds 
of  the  farm-yard,  to  that  of  the  strutting  peacock.  In 
stead  of  the  bejeweled,  padded,  laced  figures  of  the  city 
dandies,  the  country  swains  presented  themselves  in  de 
cent,  but  plain  and  often  uncouth  apparel,  with  very  lit 
tle  attempt  at  ornamentation.  The  contrast  between  the 
city  and  country  girls  was  still  more  marked  than  that 
between  the  males  of  the  two  localities.  Instead  of  the 
rich,  trailing  robes  of  their  city  sisters,  the  country  girls 
generally  wore  dresses  in  which  they  could  walk  without 
being  in  the  least  incommoded ;  and  as  few  of  them  wore 
a  great  superfluity  of  skirts  or  hoops  to  give  them  a 
rounded  appearance,  their  dresses  hung  about  their  per 
sons,  giving  them  a  lank  appearance ;  which  was  doubt 
less  becoming  enough  in  their  own  native  fields  or  rustic 
residences,  but  which  caused  them  to  look  like  posts 
draped  in  female  apparel,  as  compared  to  the  walking 
dry-goods  establishments  from  the  city. 

The  promenade  had  continued  for  some  time,  when  the 
musicians  changed  to  a  waltz,  and  the  dancing  commenced 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  55 

without  further  notice.  It  was  much  as  if  a  whirlwind 
had  made  a  raid  upon  a  laundry,  snatched  up  all  sorts  of 
garments,  including  those  wrhich  had  been  stiffened  by 
starch,  and  those  which  were  still  in  a  limpsy  condition, 
the  commonest  kinds,  and  the  richest,  indiscriminately, 
and  set  the  whole  into  an  incongruous  whirl ;  dancing  up 
and  down,  commingling  in  an  inconceivable  mixture,  now 
moving  horizontally  in  a  body  as  if  by  some  common  im 
pulse,  then  again  rotating,  then  moving  laterally,  through 
and  through  each  other,  like  several  charging  battalions 
which  had  been  thrown  into  confusion,  then  separating 
again  and  joining  in  one  furious  whirl,  as  if  actuated 
with  a  new  impulse  by  a  blast  from  the  lungs  of  Boreas — 
till  the  eye  grew  weary  of  trying  to  discover  any  method 
in  the  medley.  This  continued  till  the  dancers  were  out 
of  breath,  when  they  dre^"  off  to  the  side  seats,  'to  rest. 
The  next  dance  was  a  quadrille,  in  which  the  country 
dancers  were  more  at  home. 

During  the  evening,  Mr.  Sindandy  made  himself  very- 
agreeable  to  Miss  Shoeman,  the  rich  tanner's  daughter ; 
and  in  doing  so,  by  no  means  advanced  his  interests  in 
the  friendship  of  John  Woodman,  who  appeared  to  re 
gard  it  as  his  privilege  to  wait  upon  that  young  lady  on 
this  occasion.  Persons  unacquainted  with  the  customs  of 
society  in  certain  rural  districts,  would  find  it  difficult  to 
comprehend  the  relations  between  John  Woodman  and 
Miss  Shoeman.  Woodman  was  poor,  being  the  possessor 
only  of  a  small  clearing,  from  which  he  had  to  support 
a  widowed  mother.  He  was  much  esteemed  for  his 
correct  and  industrious  habits,  much  given  to  reading, 
and  better  informed  than  most  of  his  neighbors ;  and 
Miss  Shoeman  regarded  him  with  a  certain  degree  of 
favor.  Though  her  father  had  become  a  millionaire 
through  the  profits  of  the  tanning  business,  he  had  once 
been  as  poor  as  John  Woodman.  Still,  such  great  wealth 
generally  begets  pride,  and  while  he  looked  upon  John 
as  a  very  respectable  young  man,  he  did  not  by  any 
means  regard  him  as  a  proper  match  for  his  daughter. 
But  Mr.  Shoeman,  notwithstanding  his  wealth,  retained 
many  of  his  old  habits  of  living  on  a  sort  of  equality 
with  his  poorer  neighbors.  This  was  the  more  natural,  as 
there  were  few  others  in  the  section  where  he  lived  for  him 


56  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

to  associate  with,  and  his  family  would  have  been  nearly 
isolated  from  all  social  intercourse,  had  they  not  associated 
with  those  who  were  poor  as  they  were  once  themselves. 
As  there  were  no  rich  young  men  in  the  vicinity,  it  will 
therefore  readily  be  seen  why  Miss  Shoeman  accepted  a 
certain  degree  of  attentions  from  John  Woodman.  Her 
father  did  not  object  to  this  state  of  things ;  but  there 
was  doubtless  a  tacit  understanding  between  him  and 
his  daughter  that  there  was  a  certain  limit  beyond 
which  these  attentions  must  not  proceed.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  Miss  Shoeman  had  a  deeper  regard  for 
John  than  she  would  have  been  willing  to  admit ;  for 
young  ladies  are  not,  like  their  more  calculating 
parents,  entirely  guided  in  such  matters  by  considera 
tions  of  wealth  and  expediency. 

The  members  of  the  Leech  Club  always  had  an  eye  to 
the  main  chance,  and  never  let  an  opportunity  slip  to 
form  an  alliance  that  might  add  to  their  material  wealth, 
and  extend  their  political  influence.  Miss  Shoeman  was 
an  only  child,  the  heir  to  a  large  fortune ;  and  her  father 
was  a  man  of  considerable  influence  in  his  own  county. 
This  fact  was  known  to  Mr.  Sindandy,  and  he  determined 
to  make  the  most  of  his  opportunities.  She  danced  with 
John  Woodman  in  the  first  quadrille,  but  in  the  next 
Mr.  Sindandy  secured  her  for  a  partner.  During  the  in 
tervals  in  the  dance,  he  was  constantly  pouring  his  twad 
dle  into  her  earj  and  this,  with  the  flashing  splendor  of 
the  dress  of  the  swell,  took  amazingly  with  the  unsophis 
ticated  country  girl.  The  large  wealth  of  her  father, 
aside  from  a  few  solid  home  comforts,  was  chiefly  invested 
in  profitable  real  estate  and  bonds ;  on  which  he  drew 
a  semi-yearly  interest,  again  to  be  profitably  invested. 
She,  therefore,  had  never  before  seen  such  splendid  toilets, 
such  magnificently-dressed  gentlemen,  except  in  one  or 
two  instances  when  she  had  visited  places  of  amusement 
in  the  distant  city,  and  then  she  had  not  been  brought 
face  to  face  with  them,  as  on  the  present  occasion. 

"Oh !  dear  me,  Mr.  Sindandy,"  said  Mary  Shoeman,  as, 
in  the  dance,  one  of  the  comet-tailed  young  ladies'  dresses 
whirled  up  against  her,  almost  carrying  her  off  her 
feet,  "  if  I  should  wear  such  a  thing  as  that  on  my  dress, 
I  could  hardly  walk  around,  much  less  dance." 


MYSTEKIES   OF  THE   CATSKILLS.  57 

"Aw!  Miss  Shoeman,"  said  Mr.  Sindandy,  "a  young 
lady  of  youali  beauty,  gifts  and  wealth,  should  not  spend 
her  time  entirely  in  the  country,  whea  she  has  no  op 
portunity  to  lea'n  the  accomplishments  and  usages  of 
good  society.  With  a  little  practice  you  would  soon  be 
come  as  accomplished  as  any  young  lady  you  see  hea." 

"  But,"  said  Mary,  "  what  do  you  suppose  father  would 
say  to  see  me  with  such  a  kite's  tail  as  that  to  my  dress? 
Why,  he'd  ask  me  if  that  was  a  bob-sled  I  was  dragging 
after  me,  to  draw  bark  on." 

'"Youah  fathah,  Miss  Shoeman,  ought  to  take  pride  in 
seeing  his  daughtah  dressed  and  accomplished  as  be 
comes  her  position.  If  you  would  spend  the  coming 
wintah  in  the  city  with  my  friend,  Mrs.  Grandola,  I 
think  you  would  nevah  regret  it.  She  is  a  lady  of 
great  cultivation  and  refinement,  and  undah  her  instruc 
tions  you  would  profit  greatly." 

"  My  goodness,"  said  Mary,  her  face  brightening  up  as  if 
with  anticipation,  "  do  you  suppose  I  could  ever  learn  to 
carry  so  much  finery  about  with  me  as  these  young  ladies 
do  without  being  tripped  up  with  it  at  every  step  rf 

"  Cehtainly,  Miss  Shoeman.  I  dah  say  that  you  can 
do  many  things  which  these  young  ladies  cannot,  which 
are  much  ha'dah  to  learn." 

"Oh!  yes,"  said  Mary,  "I  don't  suppose  that  one  of 
them  could  milk  a  cow,  or  spin  yarn." 

By  this  time  it  became  the  turn  of  Mr.  Siiidandy  and 
Miss  Shoeman  to  lead  off  in  the  dance,  while  John 
Woodman  and  Phebe  Greenwood,  who  were  dancing  on 
the  sides  in  the  same  quadrille,  came  to  a  halt. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  company,  Phebe  ?"  said 
John.  (  Country  people  are  not  always  particular  to  ad 
dress  a  young  lady  as  Miss.) 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  John,  I  don't  think  much  of  them. 
But  I'm  so  bewildered  that  I  hardly  know  what  to 
think.  What's  your  opinion,  John  ?" 

"I  think  that  Mr.  Sindandy,  there,  will  some  day 
reach  a  high  position." 

"  How,  a  high  position,  John?" 

"  I  think  he  s  bound  to  be  elevated  by  the  hangman." 

"  Oh !  John,  I  see  what's  the  matter :  you're  jealous  be 
cause  he's  dancing  with  Mary  Shoeman." 
3* 


58  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OB,  THE 

"  I  think  bettor  of  Mary,"  said  John,  "than  to  believe 
that  she  could  be  taken  up  with  such  a  brainless  dandy." 

"  John,"  said  Phebe,  "  do  you  know  how  I  feel  in  this 
crowd?  I  feel  just  as  though  I  was  in  a  den  of  robbers 
such  as  I  have  read  about  in  story  books ;  who  live  in 
the  grandest  manner  on  what  they  get  by  robbery." 

"I  guess  you  are  not  far  wrong,"  said  John,  "judg 
ing  from  an  account  I  heard  Mr.  Sindandy  give  of  his 
gang,  which  he  calls  the  Leech  Club." 

"  W  hat,  John,  you  don't  really  mean  to  say  that  we 
are  among  a  gang  of  robbers  away  off  here  in  the  moun 
tains  ?" 

"  Not  exactly  in  the  sense  that  you  mean,  but  robbers 
after  all ;  but  I  don't  mean  that  we  are  in  any  personal 
danger." 

Phebe  seemed  to  be  reassured  by  this  statement, 
though  she  instinctively  nestled  closer  to  John.  And 
now  they  dashed  off  in  the  dance,  and  their  conversation 
ended  for  the  present. 

As  soon  as  the  quadrille  was  finished,  Mr.  Sindandy 
managed  to  introduce  Miss  Shoeman  to  Mrs.  Grandola, 
having  previously  given  that  excellent  lady  the  cue  in 
regard  to  what  he  wished  her  to  say  to  the  country  girl. 

"My  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Grandola,  "I  am  charmed  with 
you.  If  I  could  only  have  you  in  the  city  with  me  for  a 
month  or  two,  with  an  occasional  hint  from  me,  you 
would  become  as  accomplished  and  fascinating  as  any 
young  lady  you  see  here.  The  stuff  is  in  you,  and  you 
only  lack  opportunity  to  develop  your  powers." 

If  Miss  Shoeman  had  been  a  little  better  acquainted 
with  the  world,  and  been  able  to  distinguish  true  culture 
and  refinement  from  the  most  tawdry  and  vulgar  display, 
she  would  have  regarded  the  intimation  that  she  might 
become  as  accomplished  as  the  ignorant,  besotted  throng 
before  her,  as  anything  but  a  compliment.  But  the 
glare  of  diamonds  and  jewelry  and  the  sea  of  rich  robes, 
overpowered  her  understanding;  and  had  an  ape,  or  a 
gorilla,  or  an  orang-outang,  or  even  a  donkey,  appeared 
upon  the  scene  dressed  in-  the  exquisite  style  of  the 
males  of  the  Leech  Club,  or  the  trailing  flummery  of  the 
females  thereof,  she  would  have  taken  it  for  granted 
that  the  ornamented  monstrosity  was  a  fine  gentleman 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  59 

or  lady.  She  would  have  waltzed  with  Satan  himself, 
had  his  cloven  hoof  been  ornamented  with  such  a  splen 
did  slipper  as  that  of  Mr.  Sindandy,  and  his  horns 
hooped  with  diamond  rings  such  as  glittered  on  that  ex 
quisite's  fingers,  and  never  would  she  have  suspected 
that  the  Evil  One  was  other  than  a  member  of  the  Club 
in  good  standing.  Mary  flushed  up  with  evident  pleas 
ure  at  the  compliments  of  Mrs.  Grandola,  and  said : 

"I  would  dearly  like  to  learn  something  of  city  life 
with  you,  if  father  could  spare  me  for  awhile.  I  think 
I  could  then  go  back  home  and  teach  our  homespun 
neighbors  a  little  refinement." 

"  To  be  sure  you  could,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Grandola. 
"  You  could  return  and  be  the  reigning  belle  of  the  whole 
county.  And  what  splendid  entertainments  you  could 
give ;  and  you  could  always  have  a  number  of  brilliant 
stars  from  the  city  at  your  parties ;  for  you  would  soon 
form  an  extensive  acquaintance.  And  it  would  add 
amazingly 'to  the  influence  of  your  family.  A  man  of 
your  father's  wealth,  my  dear,  ought  to  be  a  member  of 
Congress ;  and  who  knows  but  he  might  be  Governor  of 
the  State,  if  he  would  only  use  the  means  at  his  disposal. 
Many  a  man  has  become  prominent  in  politics  through 
the  agency  of  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  daughter. 
And  then,"  Mrs.  Grandola  added  in  a  lower  tone, 
"  such  a  splendid  husband  as  you  might  get,  my  dear. 
What  would  you  say  to  Mr.  Sindandy  ? 

Mary  blushed  diffidently,  as  if  to  say,  "  Oh !  dear,  I 
could  not  expect  to  look  as  high  as  that." 

There  was  one  person  in  the  company  who  evidently 
did  not  enjoy  himself.  Mr.  Flitaway  had  protested 
from  the  first  against  building  the  pavilion  outside  of  the 
charmed  circle  of  the  streams  of  water  which  surrounded 
the  Club  House,  saying  that  the  company  would  surely 
be  disturbed  by  the  ghosts  of  the  Catskills.  At  first  Mr. 
Flitaway  joined  in  the  festivities  ;  but  after  a  while  he 
declared  in  an  undertone  to  some  of  his  intimate  friends, 
that  he  occasionally  saw  a  hideous  looking  object,  who 
was  evidently  not  among  the  invited  guests,  glide  al 
most  imperceptibly  into  the  pavilion  when  a  waltz  was  in 
progress,  while  the  dancers  were  too  much  engaged  to 
notice  the  apparition,  waltz  across  the  floor  among  the 


x 


60  THE   LEECH   CLUB  ;    OE,    THE 

crowd,  pass  out  of  the  pavilion  on  the  other  side,  and 
disappear.  Horace  Lackfathe,  who  danced  but  little, 
was  generally  observing  the  dancers  from  a  side  seat, 
and  Mr.  Flitaway  went  and  sat  beside  him.  Mr.  Flit- 
away  told  his  story  to  Horace,  but  the  latter  rather  ex 
pressed  the  opinion  that  it  was  some  sort  of  optical  delu 
sion.  The  apparition  did  not  seem  to  trouble  any  one 
but  Mr.  Flitaway,  and  therefore  he  could  make  no  one 
believe  that  he  saw  anything  unusual.  Finally,  however, 
he  was  able  to  point  it  out  to  Horace  as  it  went  almost 
like  a  flash  across  the  floor  among  the  waltzers.  It  had 
only  appeared,  according  to  Mr.  Flitaway,  during  a 
waltz,  when  a  sort  of  confusion  prevailed,  and  it  would 
not  be  so  apt  to  attract  attention.  Whatever  it  was,  it 
seemed  to  take  especial  pains  to  show  itself  to  Mr.  Flit- 
away.  Horace  observed  that,  in  passing  out  of  the  pa 
vilion,  it  caused  the  boughs  which  formed  the  sides  of 
the  bower  to  part,  and  he  thought  he  heard  a  rustling 
among  the  bushes,  as  of  some  one  running  away.  A 
feeling  of  relief  came  over  him  ;  for  he  reasoned  that  a 
ghost  could  make  no  impression  on  material  objects,  not 
even  on  so  slight  a  substance  as  a  green  bough ;  there 
fore  the  strange  object  must  be  a  creature  of  flesh  and 
blood.  This  sort  of  reasoning,  however,  does  not  com 
port  with  the  spiritual  stories  that  have  become  common 
in  these  latter  days. 

It  was  drawing  toward  the  time  for  supper ;  and  the 
last  dance  before  sitting  down  to  the  sumptuous  refresh 
ments  was  to  be  a  Virginia  reel.  Two  long  lines  of 
dancers  were  formed  the  whole  length  of  the  pavil 
ion,  the  ladies  in  one  line,  the  gentlemen  in  the  other, 
the  two  facing  each  other.  The  incongruous  elements  of 
the  company  were  here  brought  together  in  contrasts 
and  encounters  that  were  calculated  to  excite  the  risibil 
ities  of  an  observer. 

The  music  struck  up,  and  first  a  young  countryman  in 
his  homespun  habit,  and  a  city  young  lady  in  rich  trail 
ing  robes,  from  opposite  ends  of  the  two  confronting  lines, 
went  charging  at  each  other  like  two  skirmishers  of  separ 
ate  hostile  armies  preparatory  to  the  conflict,  the  main 
forces  standing,  and  calmly  viewing  the  procedure,  as  if  to 
say,  "  our  turn  will  soon  come."  The  two  skirmishers 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  61 

did  not  rush  furiously  at  each  other  like  the  mail-clad 
knights  of  old,  but  came  corveting,  dancing,  slowly,  as 
if  mounted  on  gay  steeds,  such  as  we  have  all  seen  proud 
ly  bearing  militia  officers  in  holiday  uniform  in  a  Fourth 
of  July  parade,  prancing  at  the  head  of  a  procession. 
But  if  the  two  initiatory  skirmishers  came  slowly,  more 
terrible  was  the  encounter  when  they  met.  Their  mis 
sion  was  apparently  simply  to  meet,  cross  swords,  return 
and  report  to  their  respective  forces.  But  the  young 
lady  in  wheeling  "  about  face,"  must  necessarily  impart 
an  impetus  to  her  train  that  would  place  it  in  the  rear. 
In  doing  so,  she  gave  it  such  a  flop  that  it  wound  com 
pletely  around  the  legs  of  the  young  man.  Having 
thus  his  organs  of  locomotion  in  chancery,  he  was,  as  we 
might  say,  unhorsed,  and  brought  flat  on  the  floor ;  and 
as  the  lady  now  had  an  appendage  to  her  train  which 
was  not  placed 'there  by  the  modiste,  and  much  more 
than  she  was  ever  calculated  to  draw,  was  also,  so  to 
speak,  floored,  and  both  skirmishers  were  placed  hors  de 
combat.  Other  light  troops  rushed  to  the  aid  of  the  dis 
comfited  ones ;  the  young  man  on  being  released  from 
durance,  was  found  to  have  suffered  no  serious  wounds, 
nor  the  young  lady  either ;  but  she  had  a  much  dam 
aged  trail. 

This  circumstance  afforded  considerable  merriment 
among  the  country  people,  and  such  as  were  standing  to 
gether  so  as  to  be  able  to  converse  without  being  over 
heard  by  their  city  friends,  cracked  a  good  many  jokes 
on  the  contretemps. 

"Jim,"  said  one,  "  is  good  at  startin'  a  deer  from  cover, 
but  he  got  on  the  wrong  trail  that  time." 

"  The  trouble  is,"  said  another,  "  that  Jim  is  more  used 
to  f ollerin'  deer  than  foxes.  He  ain't  up  to  all  the  twistins 
and  turnin's  of  them  sharp  animals." 

"  That  trail,"  said  another,  "  is  so  completely  wiped  out, 
I  don't  believe  a  dog,  or  even  an  Injun,  would  think  of 
follerin'  it  now." 

"  Don't  be  uneasy,"  said  another,  "  there'll  be  enough 
that'll  hunt  up  the  game,  even  if  the  trail  is  lost." 

"  You  think,  then,"  said  another,  "  that  a  fox  is  worth 
huntin'  even  after  the  hide  is  all  torn  off.  Why,  man, 


62  THE  LEP:CII  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

you  can't  eat  'em  ;  I  wouldn't  give  two  cents  for  the  ani 
mal  without  the  fur." 

"Oh!  Bill,"  said  the  other,  "that's  rather  too  bad. 
Didn't  you  see  how  lovin'ly  that  city  chap  took  her  up. 
I  don't  doubt  but  he'd  liked  to  took  a  taste  of  her ;  though 
as  for  the  eatin',  he  might  find  her  a  tough  morsel  be 
fore  he  got  through." 

"  Thinks  I  to  myself,"  said  the  other,  "  when  I  seen 
that  city  gal  hitch  on  to  Jim  with  her  ropes,  you're  in  for 
it  now,  old  boy.  She's  goin'  to  snake  you  along  just  like 
we  haul  a  log  out  of  the  woods.  But  her  ox-chain  wasn't 
strong  enough.  Sich  flimsy  tacklin'  may  do  to  rope  in 
one  of  them  dandified  city  chaps,  but  you  can't  tow  a 
country  feller  along  with  such  weak  gear." 

"  True  as  preachin',"  said  the  other ;  "  I  reckon  Jim 
would  be  towed  along  a  good  deal  faster  by  Sallie  Good- 
sel's  calico  apron  strings,  than  the  fudgery  of  that  city 
miss." 

Each  party  having  carried  off  its  wounded,  sent  each  a 
new  skirmisher  prancing  through  the  center,  and  this  time, 
luck  would  have  it,  both  were  natives  to  the  manner 
born,  and  accustomed  to  the  mountain  warfare.  They 
danced  down  and  back  without  any  mishap,  showing  how 
much  more  effective  provincial  troops  are  for  certain  kinds 
of  service  than  regulars.  In  our  early  Colonial  times,' 
the  British  General  Braddock  was  defeated  by  ignoring 
his  provincial  allies. 

A  Virginia  reel  is  one  of  the  most  exciting  and  amus 
ing  of  country  dances,  when  participated  in  by  those  who 
are  unencumbered  by  a  superfluity  of  dress  to  impede 
the  maneuvering.  After  the  mishap  mentioned,  the  dance 
proceeded,  the  city  girls  certainly  displaying  commenda 
ble  skill  in  engineering  their  trains,  and  keeping  them 
from  being  smashed  by  the  bipedal  locomotives.  But 
notwithstanding  the  vigilance  of  the  fair  engineers,  there 
was  occasionally  a  train  telescoped  and  thrown  from  the 
track.  The  countrymen  avoided  the  trails  of  the  ladies 
as  they  would,  when  not  armed  with  their  trusty  rifles, 
shun  the  trail  of  a  panther  in  the  forest. 

The  whole  set  had  just  completed  the  grand  move 
ment  of  marching  and  counter-marching,  coming  to  a 
halt  in  two  lines  facing  each  other,  as  at  the  beginning ; 


MYSTERIES    OF   tf  HE   CATSKILLS.  63 

when  they  were  treated  to  an  exhibition  that  struck  the 
whole  company  with  consternation.  A  hideous  looking 
object,  in  appearance,  part  man,  part  demon,  came  spin 
ning  almost  like  a  flash  down  between  the  two  lines  of 
dancers,  so  near  that  it  almost  brushed  their  clothing. 
The  apparition  brought  with  it  a  blast  of  air  cold  as  from 
the  icy  caves  of  the  mountains ;  described  by  those  who 
felt  it  as  striking  a  chill  to  their  very  bones.  The  faces 
of  both  men  and  women  blanched  with  terror,  and  amid 
the  wildest  shrieks  the  dancers  scattered  from  their  places. 
The  apparition  in  a  twinkling  passed  out  of  the  pavilion, 
and  so  great  was  the  consternation  of  the  company  that 
pursuit  was  hardly  thought  of.  The  only  one  who  re 
tained  his  presence  of  mind  was  Horace  Lackfathe.  He 
had  seen  the  apparition,  whatever  it  was,  before,  and  had 
been  studying  on  it.  With  a  speed  only  less  than  that  of 
the  nocturnal  visitor  he  pursued.  He  at  least  discovered 
that  it  had  not  dissolved  into  thin  air  immediately  on 
leaving  the  pavilion ;  for  he  saw  it,  by  the  dim  light  of 
the  moon,  making  undiminished  speed  toward  a  perpen 
dicular  ledge  of  rocks.  Urged  on  to  superhuman  exer 
tions  by  the  hope  of  discovering  the  key  to  this  mystery, 
Horace  flew  like  the  wind  after  the  retreating  apparition. 
He  gained  on  it ;  its  speed  appeared  not  to  be  so  great 
as  at  first.  How  Horace  went  at  such  speed  over  such 
rocks,  and  through  bushes  without  being  tripped  and 
bruised,  he  could  never  afterwards  tell.  In  the  furious 
excitement  of  the  chase,  he  felt  no  exhaustion,  nor  looked 
upon  the  ground  he  trod.  Had  there  been  a  deep  abyss 
before  him,  he  would  have  dashed  into  it,  for  his  eye 
was  fixed  only  on  the  fugitive  figure.  Now  he  can  al 
most  touch  it,  and  he  feels  certain  that  it  cannot  escape 
him,  for  just  before  is  an  unbroken,  impassable  ledge  of 
rocks.  Straining  every  nerve,  Horace's  right  hand  grasps 
a  revolver  in  his  breast  pocket,  ready  for  an  encounter 
should  the  fugitive  show  resistance.  The  sharp  click  of 
the  lock,  as  Horace  cocked  the  pistol,  must  have  caused 
the  nerves  of  the  apparition  to  quake,  provided  it  had 
any  fears  of  leaden  bullets.  But  Horace  does  not  fire ; 
he  feels  certain  that  his  game  will  soon  be  driven  to  the 
wall,  when  he  will  capture  it  alive.  He  has'  for  two 
or  three  minutes  been  on  the  point  of  grasping  the  fugi- 


64  THE   LEECH   CLUB  |   OE,    THE 

tive,  but  always  finds  it  just  out  of  his  reach.  Now  he 
throws  all  his  force  into  a  furious  bound  forward ;  he 
fairly  flies,  and  catches  the  garments  of  the  apparition — 
he  has  it — no,  it  is  but  some  leaves  from  a  bush  that  his 
hand  comes  in  contact  with.  On,  on,  rush  pursued  and 
pursuer  like  shooting  stars  ricocheting  over  the  sombre 
Leath.  And  now  the  crisis  is  at  hand.  The  perpendic 
ular  ledge  of  rocks  is  not  ten  feet  off,  and  the  apparition 
plunges  into  a  thick  clump  of  bushes  at  the  base  of  the 
precipice.  Horace  rushes  in  without  the  least  hesitation. 
The  bushes  would  not  more  than  afford  cover  for  three 
persons,  and  surely  Horace  can  have  no  difficulty  in  lay 
ing  hands  on  the  fugitive.  He  clutches  around  wildly 
among  the  bushes.  He  has  embraced  the  whole  space 
with  his  encircling  arms,  but  with  the  exception  of  draw 
ing  the  brambles  to  his  breast,  he  might  as  well  have 
clasped  the  empty  air.  He  rakes  the  circumscribed  space 
with  the  drag-net  of  his  arms,  and  finds  it  like  fishing  in 
the  Dead  Sea.  He  obtains  no  food  for  the  curiosity  of 
his  starving  soul  by  dipping  his  net  in  such  an  unfruitful 
conservatory.  Having  satisfied  himself  that  there  was 
nothing  in  the  bushes,  and  that  there  was  no  method  of 
escaping  through,  or  climbing  the  precipice,  he  stepped 
back  a  few  paces.  There  on  top  of  the  ledge,  out  of  his 
reach,  sat  the  object  of  his  pursuit. 

"Man,  ghost  or  devil,"  said  Horace,  aiming  his  re 
volver  at  the  apparition,  "  stir  not  a  peg,  or  the  contents 
of  these  six  chambers  will  verify  whether  you  are  proof 
against  gunpowder  and  lead !" 

"  Presumptuous  young  man  !"  said  the  strange  object, 
"  you  might  as  well  discharge  your  weapon  at  the  unsub 
stantial  air.  Be  thankful  tnat  I  have  spared  your  life. 
Know  you  not  that  I  might  have  led  you  to  death  twenty 
times  during  your  mad  pursuit.  Had  I  turned  a  little 
from  the  course,  you  would  have  been  led  over  a  preci 
pice  and  dashed  to  pieces.  Return  to  your  friends,  and 
try  not  to  pry  into  mysteries  that  are  not  for  such  as  you 
to  know." 

"  Who,  and  what  are  you,"  said  Horace,  "  that  prowls 
about  in  hideous  masquerade,  frightening  the  ignorant 
with  your  vain  mummery  ?  I  will  teach  you  a  lesson 
that  will  be  a  warning  to  impostors.  Now,  come  down 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  65 

from  that  perch  and  surrender  yourself,  or  I  will  see  what 
effect  cold  lead  will  have  on  your  ghostly  person." 

"As  for  what"  I  am,  young  man,  it  is  enough  that  I  am 
nothing  that  you  can  harm,  or  that  wishes  to  harm  you 
or  yours." 

"  If  you  have  no  intention  to  do  harm,  why  do  you  in 
trude  in  hideous  attire  into  a  festive  company,  frighten 
ing  frail  women  into  hysterics,  and  marring  the  pleasure 
of  those  who  would  enjoy  themselves  ?" 

"  Ask  the  thunder,  which  in  terrific  volume,  often  re 
verberates  through  the  recesses  of  these  eternal  rocks  and 
hills,  why  it  does  not  cease  its  rolling  because,  perchance, 
frail  mortals  will  be  frightened  at  the  voice  of  supernal 
power !  I  am  but  fulfilling  my  destiny,  and  those  who 
do  not  like  my  presence,  must  not  invade  my  dominions, 
to  practice  a  round  of  licentiousness  as  hateful  to  the 
powers  of  these  secluded  mountains  as  my  own  presence 
seems  to  be  to  those  immoral  revelers.  I  trouble  no  one 
who  does  not  come  to  corrupt  the  ancient  customs  of  these 
hills." 

"  You  certainly  seem  to  be  a  religious  demon.  You 
may  consider  it  your  duty  to  break  up  any  party  of  pleas 
ure  that  sees  fit  to  visit  what  you  are  pleased  to  call  your 
realm.  But  if  you  don't  come  down  from  there  without 
further  parley,  I  fire." 

"  Young  man,  I  could  in  an  instant  summon  a  legion 
to  my  aid  that  would  make  you  quail.  But  I  spare  you. 
Those  whom  I  trouble  are  licentious  invaders, whose  cause  I 
charge  you  not  to  embrace,  if  you  are  not  one  of  their 
number." 

"  Once  more,  I  say,  come  down  from  there  as  you  went 
up,  or  I  fire." 

A  hollow  laugh,  which  the  gorges  and  caverns  of  the 
mountains  seemed  to  take  up,  and  re-echo,  till  it  appeared 
like  rumbling  thunder,  was  the  only  reply.  This  was  fol 
lowed  by  the  quick  report  of  Horace's  pistol,  three  bar 
rels  being  fired  in  quick  succession.  For  an  instant 
Horace  was  blinded  by  the  smoke ;  the  owls  were  startled 
from  their  roost,  and  set  up  a  promiscuous  hooting,  while 
a  hundred  echoes  from  the  rocks  might  have  created  the 
impression  that  the  apparition  had  summoned  a  legion  of 
his  followers,  each  discharging  a  pistol  at  his  assailant. 


66  THE  LEECH   CLUB;   OK,    THE 

But  as  the  smoke  cleared  away,  Horace  saw  nothing  but 
the  bare  rock  where  the  strange  being  had  sat.  He  was 
about  to  turn  and  depart,  when  his  attention  was  attracted 
to  another  part  of  the  ledge.  There  he  saw  the  appari 
tion  standing.  With  a  wave  of  the  hand  it  exclaimed : 

"  Begone  1  begone !  I  spare  you !"  and  immediately 
disappeared. 

Horace  now  started  to  regain  the  Club  House.  He  was 
confounded  at  the  difficulty  and  danger  of  the  way.  He 
wondered  how  he  had  passed  over  the  ground  at  such  in 
conceivable  speed,  without  falling  into  frightful  chasms 
on  every  hand,  and  being  dashed  to  pieces.  He  was 
struck  with  the  recollection  that  the  strange  object  had 
told  him  that  it  might  have  led  him  off  precipices  to  bis 
destruction.  With  careful  climbing  and  feeling  his  way, 
he  finally  reached  the  house  ;  strange  to  say,  not  having 
received  a  bruise  or  a  scratch. 

When  Horace  reached  the  pavilion,  he  found,  the 
company  recovered  from  their  fright.  Some  of  the 
stronger  minded  men  and  women  of  the  Leech  Club  try 
to  sooth  the  excited  nerves  of  the  company  by  making 
light  of  the  occurrence,  expressing  the  belief  that  the  ap 
parition  was  nothing  more  than  the  wanton  freak  of  some 
monomaniac  dweller  in  the  mountains.  As  Horace  had 
not  been  missed  from  the  company,  he  said  nothing  about 
his  strange  adventure,  not  desiring  to  excite  the  fears  of 
the  ladies.  It  was  now  about  midnight,  and  the  company 
was  about  to  adjourn  to  the  Club  House  for  supper.  This 
necessitated  a  brief  walk  in  the  open  air,  and  many  looked 
suspiciously  around  as  they  traversed  the  short  distance 
between  the  pavilion  and  the  Club  House,  as  if  they  ex 
pected  to  see  a  goblin  spring  from  under  every  bush.  But 
if  there  were  any  such  in  the  vicinity,  they  did  not  make 
their  presence  known,  and  nothing  further  occurred  to 
disturb  the  excited  nerves  of  the  company. 

Seated  at  tables  glittering  with  costly  plate,  and  loaded 
with  choice  viands,  all  apparently  forgot  the  late  unwel 
come  visitor  in  the  discussion  of  the  more  substantial 
comforts  set  before  them.  There  were  disappearances 
almost  as  remarkable  as  that  of  the  mysterious  stranger ; 
but  no  one  seemed  to  be  alarmed  that  such  good  things 
were  constantly  getting  out  of  sight,  nobody  could  say 


MYSTERIES   OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  67 

liow.  No  one  appeared  to  be  frightened  at  the  sight  of 
even  spirits  disappearing  with  the  more  tangible  and 
solid  articles  of  the  feast.  It  was  quite  evident  that  some 
were  determined  so  thoroughly  to  familiarize  themselves 
with  spirits  that  no  sudden  apparition  would  hereafter 
frighten  them.  And  as  the  feast  progressed,  and  course 
succeeded  course,  and  the  sparkling  wines  flowed  freely, 
the  company  became  jovial,  apparently  caring  so  little  for 
the  presence  of  spectres  that"  they  were  determined  to 
leave  but  the  ghost  of  what  was  on  the  tables  and  in  the 
larder,  and  only  the  ghost  of  a  chance  for  those  who 
might  be  so  unlucky  as  to  come  after  them. 

However  fortified  they  were  by  the  good  cheer  of  the 
tables,  no  one  proposed  to  go  again  into  the  pavilion ; 
and  plays  and  dances  were  commenced  in  the  Club 
House,  and  kept  up  till  the  glow  on  the  eastern  moun 
tain  peaks  told  that  the  earth  had  completed  half  a  revo 
lution  since  the  festivities  had  commenced,  and  that  the 
sun  would  soon  greet  the  rugged  scene  around  with  his 
morning  salutation.  Many  had,  however,  at  different 
times,  retired  to  rest,  and  before  day  had  fully  broken, 
all  had  sought  couches  which  had  been  improvised  for 
the  occasion,  and  all  about  the  weird  mansion  was  still. 

It.was  middle  of  the  forenoon  before  all  had  arisen, 
and  partaken  of  the  morning  meal.  After  they  had 
been  duly  refreshed,  the  country  people  prepared  for 
their  journey  homeward.  It  was  observed  that  John  Wood 
man,  who,  on  the  arrival  of  the  cavalcade  at  the  Club 
House  on  the  previous  evening,  had  assisted  Miss  Shoe- 
man  from  her  rude  vehicle,  did  not  aid  her  in  departing. 
Mr.  Sindandy  performed  that  office,  and  Mrs.  Grandola 
was  present,  and  with  a  superfluity  of  kisses  and  flattery, 
bade  her  good-bye.  John  Woodman,  however,  had  the 
honor  of  waiting  on  Miss  Greenwood,  who  rode  with 
Miss  Shoeman,  notwithstanding  the  elegant  Mr.  Flitaway 
was  anxious  to  tender  his  services.  Miss  Greenwood 
steadfastly  ignored  his  advances,  and  accepted  the  prof 
fered  assistance  of  John. 

The  country  people  were  now  on  the  way  to  their 
homes,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  castle  were  at  liberty 
to  comment  as  they  liked  on  their  rustic  guests.  So  far 
as  real,  honest  intelligence  might  be  the  criterion  of  judg- 


68  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

ing  between  the  two  classes,  the  country  people  would 
have  stood  much  the  highest  in  the  estimation  of  a  phil 
osophical  observer ;  but  if  a  knowledge  of  the  ways  of 
the  world  should  be  taken  as  the  measure,  then  of  course 
the  city  people  would  have  been  considered  a  little 
ahead. 

After  the  country  people  had  departed,  they  were  the 
subjects  of  considerable  comment  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  castle.  There  were  angry  strictures  on  their  awk 
wardness,  sneers  at  their  want  of  breeding,  and  commis 
erations  on  their  ignorance  of  the  usages  of  good  society. 
To  hear  these  urbane  people  deprecate  boorishness,  a 
stranger  who  did  not  scrutinize  their  manners  too  closely, 
would  never  have  supposed  that  most  of  them  had  come 
up  from  slums  and  cellars,  to  roll  in  redundant  wealth. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ME.  8LNDANDY  AND    ME.    FLITAWAY    EUSTICATE  AMONG   THE 
NATIVES.  . 

THE  intimacy  between  John  "Woodman  and  Miss 
Shoeman  was  brought  to  a  sudden  termination.  Not 
long  after  the  party  given  by  the  Leech  Club,  John  call 
ed  at  the  house  of  the  rich  tanner,  but  was  received 
so  coolly  by  his  daughter,  that  these  visits  were  discon 
tinued.  There  had  never  been  anything  more  than  a 
friendly  intercourse  between  the  young  people;  but  this, 
under  favorable  circumstances,  might  have  ripened  into 
something  warmer.  How  many  such  intimacies  are 
there  in  every  community  where  no  -promises  have 
been  made,  no  troth  plighted,  and  yet  one  or  the  other  or 
both  of  the  parties  considered  it  much  more  than  a  mere 
affair  of  ordinary  friendship !  The  most  exalted  cases  of 
love  between  the  sexes  are  those  in  which  a  word  on  the 
subject  has  never  been  spoken,  and  which  never  reach 
the  consummation  of  unity  in  marriage.  The  deepest 
pathos  of  the  poets  is  found  in  those  productions  where- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  69 

in  the  muse  sings  of  affection  unrequited,  or  that  in  which 
cruel  destiny  forever  bars  the  union  of  the  lovers.  There 
is  something  so  common-place  about  getting  married  that, 
though  it  is  doubtless  the  finale  devoutly  to  be  wished 
for,  it  takes  away  a  portion  of  the  enchantment,  the  frui 
tion,  of  love  in  which  the  parties  have  learned  just  not 
enough  of  each  other  to  know  that  both  are  but  human. 
It  is  said  of  pleasant  dreams,  that  no  person  ever  experi 
enced  the  conclusion  of  one  before  awaking.  He  either 
awakes  before  completing  the  dream,  or  else  it  is  turned 
off  into  some  other  channel  before  he  reaches  the  delight 
ful  goal.  It  is  so  with  day-dreams.  Our  pet  theories, 
our  visions  of  ambition,  our  well-laid  plans  for  amassing 
wealth,  our  affairs  of  love,  dissolve  like  the  mirage  of  a 
dream  as  we  approach  their  consummation.  We  find 
like  children  seeking  the  fabled  silver  spoon  at  the  end 
of  the  rainbow,  that  the  volatile  splendor  recedes  as  we 
chase  it. 

John  Woodman  did  not  appear  to  take  to  heart  the 
cool  treatment  he  received  from  Mary  Shoeman.  He 
had  entertained  for  her  a  regard  stronger  than  that  of  or 
dinary  friendship ;  but  the  feeling  had  not  taken  deep 
enough  root  to  cause  him  to  repine  when  she  rejected  his 
attentions  f<3r  one  whom  he  despised  as  a  strutting  cox 
comb.  Mary  had  been  completely  dazed  by  the  splen 
dors  of  the  Leech  Club ;  and  in  her  vain  and  inexperi 
enced  estimation,  the  tawdry  men  and  women  of  that  es 
tablishment  appeared  as  the  very  paragons  of  gentility. 
Had  Mary  discarded  John  for  one  of  his  own  fellows, 
one  who  had  been  brought  up  -as  he  and  she  had  in  the 
rustic  fashion  of  the  country,  he  would  have  taken  it 
more  to  heart.  But  he  looked  upon  her  favoring  such  a 
man  as  Sindandy  as  evidence  that  she  lacked  real  worth, 
and  was  of  a  vain  and  fickle  constitution.  When  we  find 
some  cherished  fruit  that  we  have  been  carefully  preserv 
ing,  eaten  away  by  canker-worms  and  rotten  at  the  core, 
we  may  indeed  feel  disappointed  at  our  loss,  but  we  no 
longer  retain  the  corroding  treasure  in  our  choice  casket. 
We  throw  it  out  to  be  appropriated  by  such  as  feed  on 
garbage  as  their  natural  sustenance. 

Moreover,  John  Woodman  had  found  in  Phebe  Green 
wood  a  more  congenial  friend.  She  held  Mr.  Sindandy 


70  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

and  his  clique  in  contempt  at  least  as  great  as  that  in 
which  they  were  regarded  by  John.  It  is  astonishing 
how  soon,  under  some  circumstances,  the  Romeos  find 
their  Juliets.  Having  loved  unavailingly,  they  come 
across  a  congenial  spirit,  and  their  affections  are  trans 
ferred  with  tenfold  force  to  the  new  object.  Nor  is  this 
an  evidence  of  fickleness.  As  well  say  that  a  magnet  is 
fickle  because  it  no  longer  points  to  a  substance  which 
has  freed  itself  of  what  little  properties  it  had  of  attract 
ing  it.  Few  marry  those  for  whom  they  first  cherished 
a  regard.  Love  is  more  an  experiment  than  an  instinct. 
Often  young  people  imagine  themselves  in  love,  until 
some  circumstance  reveals  the  fact  that  their  tastes  and 
inclinations  are  totally  at  variance,  and  they  gradually 
separate  and  gravitate  toward  those  with  whom  they  pos 
sess  an  affinity. 

John  Woodman  had  discovered  that  .he  and  Phebe 
Greenwood  at  least  agreed  in  despising  the  sham  gentility 
and  exaggerated  display  of  the  Leech  Club ;  and  thus 
they  met  on  sympathetic  ground.  Whether  their  sym 
pathies  were  to  ripen  into  something  more  than  friend 
ship,  time  must  show.  Their  conditions  in  regard  to 
probable  worldly  possessions  were  as  widely  apart  as  those 
of  John  and  Miss  Shoeman,  for  Phebe  Greenwood's 
father  was  also  rich.  lie  had,  like  Mr.  Shoeman,  com 
menced  paor,  and  grown  rich  through  a  profitable  trade  in 
lumber.  He  had,  like  Mr.  Shoeman,  but  slightly  changed 
his  method  of  living;  and  only  those  who  knew  him 
would  have  supposed  that  his  circumstances  were  greatly 
different  from  those  of  his  rural  neighbors.  His  family 
associated  with  the  surrounding  community  with  as  little 
restraint  as  if  they  only  possessed  an  ordinary  farm  and 
a  single  saw-mill,  instead  of  owning  large  tracts  of  land 
in  two  or  three  counties,  and  saw-mills  on  many  streams. 

Mr.  Sindandy,  Mr.  Flitaway,  Mrs.  Grandola,  and  others 
of  the  Leech  Club,  had  received  an  invitation  from  Mary 
Shoeman  to  visit  her  father's  house.  A  couple  of  weeks 
after  the  grand  party  mentioned,  the  two  gentlemen  re 
ferred  to,  drove  «p  in  a  buggy  at  the  unpretending  resi 
dence  of  Mr.  Shoeman.  They  were  cordially  received  by 
Mary,  their  horses  cared  for,  and  soon  they  Were  making 
themselves  agreeable  to  the  family  in  their  own  peculiar 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  71 

style.  They  were  domiciled  for  a  visit  of  several  days  ; 
and  as  their  earliest  associations,  before  they  profited  by 
the  beneficence  of  the  Leech  Club,  were  of  a  plainer  na 
ture  than  even  the  poorest  of  the  rural  population  of  that 
section,  they  found  no  trouble  in  making  themselves  at 
home  at  the  rustic  dwelling  of  the  tanner.  Though  their 
present  equipments,  and  dandified  appearance,  were  as 
much  out  of  place  in  that  atmosphere  as  finely-dressed 
monkeys  would  be  in  the  wilds  of  Africa,  where  such 
finery  had  never  been  imported,  still  they  had  known 
what  it  was  in  childhood  to  dine  on  cold  victuals  contrib 
uted  from  some  hospitable  kitchen.  It  may  therefore  be 
f airly  inferred  that  they  were  subject  to  no  great  hard 
ship  in  having  to  breakfast  on  fried  pork,  ham  and  eggs, 
with  "  warmed-up  "  potatoes,  and  coffee ;  to  dine  on  pork 
and  beans,  green  corn,  apple  dumplings,  and  pumpkin 
pies ;  the  whole  washed  down  by  pure  cold  water  from 
the  spring,  instead  of  sparkling  wines ;  and  to  sup  on 
mush  and  milk,  bread  and  butter,  sweetmeats,  plain  cake, 
and  a  cup  of  tea. 

After  they  had  been  a  couple  of  days  at  Mr.  Shoeman's 
and  had  gotten  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  the  family, 
Mr.  Sindandy  struck  out  in  his  own  .peculiar  vein,  edify 
ing  their  rustic  .acquaintances  with  the  high-toned  ways 
of  the  world  in  which  he  and  his  companion  moved.  Mr. 
Flitaway  said  but  little,  apparently  serving  only  as  a  sort 
of  tender  to  Mr.  Sindandy,  always  ready  to  confirm  any 
statement  made  by  that  worthy. 

"Aw!  Mistah  Shoeman,"  said  the  exquisite,  "  I  wondah 
you  don't  emba'k  in  politics.  A  man  of  youah  wealth  and 
ability  should  at  least  control  the  county  wheah  he  re 
sides." 

"  I  am  on  the  wrong  side,"  said  Mr.  Shoeman  ;  "  the 
party  that  I  belong  to  is  in  the  minority  in  this  section 
of  the  country." 

"I  see,"  said  Mr.  Sindandy,  "you don't  know  the  ways 
of  the  political  world.  Why,  sir,  youah  wealth  would 
elect  you  on  any  ticket." 

"  Oh !  no,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Shoeman,  "  you  mistake  the 
independence  of  the  country  people.  Although  I  give 
employment  to  hundreds  of  men,  the  most  of  them  differ 


72  THE   LEECH   CLUB;    OR,   THE 

in  politics  with  me,  and  they  would  not  vote  for  me  if  I 
was  running  for  office." 

"  Aw  !  Mi  stab  Shoeman,  you  don't  know  all  that  men 
will  do  for  a  considahation." 

"  But,  do  you  mean  that  I  should  resort  to  bribery  to 
get  into  office  ?" 

"  By  no  means.  Go  around  among  the  most  influen 
tial  men.  Tell  them  that  you  would  not  think  of  such 
a  thing  as  buying  thea  votes ;  that  you  know  they  don't 
diffah  with  you  materially,  and  that  you  feel  suah  they 
will  help  you  as  a  friend ;  that  you  want  them  to  canvass 
around  among  thea  friends  for  you,  and  that  you  know 
they  cannot  affoahd  to  spend  their  time  for  .nothing.  Tell 
them  to  draw  on  you  for  whatevah  may  be  necessary  to 
pay  them  for  thea  time.  To  some  you  will  have  to  give 
fifty  dollahs,  some  a  hundred  dollahs,  and  some,  pe'haps, 
even  as  high  as  a  .thousand  dollahs.  Nevah  f  eah  but  they 
will  go  right  away  to  work  for  you  for  such  good  pay,  and 
will  no  moah  feel  that  they  are  bribed  than  if  you  should 
hiah  them  as  traveling  agents  to  sell  youah  leathah. 

"  The  figures  I  named  of  fifty,  a  hundred  and  a  thou 
sand  dollahs,  are  the  highest  you  will  have  to  pay.  You 
can  go  around  among  the  poorer  class,  and  say  to  them 
also  that  you  would  not  think  of  trying  to  buy  thea 
votes,  but  that  you  know  they  will  help  you  as  a  friend. 
Ask  them  to  canvass  a  little  for  you  among  thea  ac 
quaintances,  and  say  you  know  that  they  have  families  to 
suppoaht,  and  they  cannot  affoahd  to  lose  thea  time,  and 
that  you  will  give  them  five  dollahs,  ten  dollahs,  fifteen 
dollahs  apiece,  according  to  circumstances.  Pretty  soon 
you  have  got  everybody  to  work  for  you,  and  no  one  is 
bribed. 

"  We  membahs  of  the  Leech  Club  always  manage 
things  without  bribery.  We  nevah  fail  to  get  men  to  do 
what  we  want  them  to  for  a  considahation,  and  we  nevah 
bribed  a  man  yet.  We  also  get  pay  for  ouah  own  honest 
labors  in  the  Legislacha  and  elsewheah,  and  never  accepted 
a  bribe  in  ouah  lives." 

But  for  the  unsophisticated  audacity  of  Mr.  Sindandy 
in  laying  down  this  remarkable  code  of  political  ethics, 
Mr.  Shoeman  would  have  immediately  seen  through  the 
undisguised  rascality  of  this  method  of  manipulating  an 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  73 

election.  But  Mr.  Sindandy  was  such  a  pink  of  perfec 
tion — having  gained  the  unqualified  admiration  of  Miss 
Shoeman,  and  consequently  of  her  mother — that  Mr. 
Shoeman  was  actually  wheedled  into  the  blindness  of  his 
wife  and  daughter ;  who  would  have  been  astonished  at 
nothing  promulgated  by  the  splendid,  immaculate,  infal 
lible  Sindandy;  even  had  he  .told  them  that  a  common 
and  legitimate  amusement  of  his  city  friends  was  to  set  fire 
to  a  few  blocks  of  houses,  and,  like  Nero,  keep  time  to 
the  roaring  conflagration  by  music  and  dancing.  Mr. 
Shoeman  remained  silent  for  a  little  while,  as  if  digesting 
the  astonishment  that  had  at  first  overpowered  him  at 
the  thought  that  such  practices  could  be  right  and  proper, 
and  then  remarked : 

"  But,  Mr.  Sindandy,  the  method  you  speak  of  would 
cost  an  immense  pile  of  money — many  times  what  the 
office  would  be  worth." 

"Nevah  feah  for  that,"  said  the  worthy  expounder  of 
ethics.  "  When  you  get  to  the  Legislacha,  you  will  find 
men  who  are  willing  to  pay  you  to  work  for  them,  just 
as  you  have  paid  men  to  canvass  for  you  ;  only  they  will 
pay  you  much  highah.  Why,  it  is  nothing  for  a  mem- 
bah  of  the  Legislacha  to  make  ten  thousand  dollahs  in  a 
single  day,  and  earn  it  too.  Suppose  you  spend  fifty,  or 
a  hundred  thousand  dollahs  to  be  elected.  I  will  guar 
antee  that  you  shall  have  the  money  all  back  and  moah 
besides,  the  first  term  you  serve  in  the  Legislacha." 

Mr.  Shoeman  was  utterly  confounded  at  these  state 
ments.  Could  it  be  possible  that  such  things  were  prac 
ticed,  and  that  they  were  perfectly  legitimate  ?  It  must 
be  so,  for  the  excellent,  the  elegant  Mr.  Sindandy,  whom 
Mary  and  her  mother  regard  as  the  paragon  of  refine 
ment  and  morality,  speaks  of  these  practices  with  as  lit 
tle  reservation  as  Mr.  Shoeman  would  of  a  good  opera 
tion  in  leather. 

"  And,"  continued  Mr.  Sindandy,  "  Mrs.  Shoeman  and 
her  daughtah  will  have  the  benefit  of  residing  part  of 
the  season  at  the  Capital,  which  will  be  a  great  relief 
from  the  humdrum  life  of  the  country." 

"  Oh !  yes,  father,  that  would  be  so  nice !"  said  Mary. 

"  And,"  said  Mrs.  Shoeman,  "  though  I  us£d  to  think 
we  had  a  very  pleasant  home  here,  since  I  have  heard 
4 


THE   LEECH   CLUB  :    OB,    THE 


Mr.  Sindandy  tell  about  the  fine  things  in  the  city,  and 
how  members  of  the  Legislature  are  always  called  the 
Honorable  Mr.  So  and  So,  and  their  wives  the  Honora 
ble  Mrs.  So  and  So,  I  begin  to  think  this  a  dull  place, 
and  want  to  see  a  little  of  the  gay  world.  I'm  sure  we 
can  afford  it,  and  then  Mr.  Sindandy  says  we  won't  lose 
anything,  but  will  rather  make  money  by  your  going  to 
the  Legislature." 

This  was  a  clincher.  Sindandy  was  the  serpent  that 
had  entered  that  paradise,  and  Mrs.  Shoeman  was  re-en 
acting  the  part  of  her  ancestor,  Eve.  If  Mr.  Shoeman 
does  not  fall,  he  is  not  a  true  descendant  of  Adam. 

Mr.  Greenwood  and  Mr.  Shoeman  were  neighbors, 
and  there  was  considerable  intercourse  between  the  two 
families.  In  this  manner  Mr.  Sindandy  and  Mr.  Flita- 
way  managed  to  get  an  introduction  at  Mr.  Greenwood's. 
Mr.  Flitaway  exerted  himself  to  obtain  a  footing  there, 
but  he  received  no  encouragement  from  Phebe.  Her 
father  and  mother,  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  was  endorsed 
by  the  Shoeman's,  and  doubtless  a  little  taken  by  his 
splendid  make-up,  were  disposed  to  look  upon  him  with 
some  degree  of  favor ;  and  but  for  this  fact,  Phebe 
would  hardly  have  treated  him  with  civility.  She  pre 
ferred  the  companionship  and  good  sense  of  John  Wood 
man  to  the  mincing  flattery  of  the  fop.  Many  was  the 
rating  which  Phebe  received  from  her  friend,  Mary 
Shoeman,  for  neglecting  so  favorable  an  opportunity  tos 
capture  the  splendid  and  wealthy  city  gentleman,  and 
wasting  her  time  with  a  penniless  young  man  like  John 
Woodman.  Mary  intimated  that  John  might  do  well 
enough  to  help  pass  the  time  away  when  the  neighbor 
hood  was  not  graced  by  a  couple  of  elegant  gentlemen, 
the  likes  of  whom  were  seldom  seen ;  but  to  let  such  a 
rare  chance  slip !  How  could  Phebe  be  so  preposterous  ? 

Sindandy  and  Flitaway,  during  their  stay  in  tbe  coun 
try,  took  immense  pleasure  in  astonishing  the  rustics. 
Dressed  to  the  killing  height  of  the  fashions,  glittering 
with  diamonds  and  gems  set  in  gold,  they  condescended 
to  attend  the  rustic  parties,  to  dance  with  the  country 

firls  in  their  plain  calico  dresses,  and  to  shake  the  toil- 
ardened  hands  of  the  country  swains.     The  two  swells 
were  the  observed  of  all  observers.     The  country  girls 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  75 

were,  many  of  them,  as  proud  of  dancing  with  the  mag 
nificent  strangers  as  are  some  city  belles  to  waltz  with  a 
prince  of  the  royal  blood,  who  may  visit  the  new  world. 
Kor  is  this  said  to  their  discredit.  They  had  not  seen 
such  large  quantities  of  the  much-counterfeited  coin 
called  gentility,  as  to  be  able  to  detect  the  real  from  the 
spurious  article.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  some  of  them 
will  learn  too  late  that  the  glitter  of  highly  polished  brass 
is  often  greater  than  that  of  native  gold,  which  has 
not  undergone  the  refining  process  of  the  crucible. 

We  will  now  for  a  time  leave  Mr.  Sindandy  and  Mr. 
Flitaway  to  their  devices,  while  we  return  and  see  what 
is  going  on  at  the  castle  of  the  Leech  Club. 


-   CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  HERMIT  OF  THE  CATSKILLS. 

HORACE  LACKFATHE  and  Mr.  Graphic  were  walking 
about  the  precincts  of  the  castle  one  fine  morning,  when 
they  fell*  in  with  an  old  resident,  and  native  of  the 
Catskill  region,  who  had  for  some  time  been  employed 
about  the  Leech  Club  establishment.  Horace  and  his 
'companion,  naturally  anxious  to  obtain  information  re 
specting  this  strange  region,  engaged  in  conversation 
with  the  old  mountaineer.  After  some  pumping,  the 
old  man  saw  that  they  were  pleased  to  listen  to  him, 
and  he  became  perfectly  communicative.  After  relating 
various  anecdotes,  and  describing  many  remarkable 
features  of  the  mountains,  he  told  them  of  a  strange 
inhabitant,  who  made  his  home  in  the  deep,  dark 

S>rges  of  the  mountains ;  no  one  knew  exactly  where, 
educed  to  modern  English  the  old  man's  story  was  as 
follows : 

About  three  years  ago  there  appeared  in  these  moun 
tains  a  man  of  middle  age,  dark  skin,  straight  black 
hair,  and  features  different  from  those  of  any  race  of 
men  that  the  people  here  were  accustomed  to  see. 
What  was  at  first  supposed  to  be  a  deformity  of  face 


76  THE   LEECH   CLUB;    OK,   THE 

was  finally  decided  to  be  the  natural  features  of  the 
aboriginal  race,  and  the  stranger  was  considered  to  be  of 
Indian  origin.  No  one  had  ever  been  able  to  discover  his 
exact  abiding  place  ;  but  that  such  a  person  did  live  in  the 
mountains  was  known  from  the  fact  that  he  had  been  met, 
and  conversed  with  by  hunters  ;  who  represented  him  as 
educated,  and  speaking  good  English.  He  invariably 
disappeared  into  the  recesses  of  the  mountains  after 
holding  the  briefest  interview  with  those  who  accidentally 
encountered  him. 

One  story  of  his  origin  was  that  he  was  a  descendant 
of  the  original  Indian  owners  of  the  soil ;  that  the  rem 
nant  of  his  tribe  had  removed  to  the  far  West  many 
years  ago,  and  that  he  had  returned  to  visit  the  graves  of 
his  ancestors.  Some  believed  that  he  was  the  ghost  of  a 
great  Indian,  and  that  he  had  a  whole  tribe  of  aboriginal 
spirits  at  his  command.  Others  who  did  not  exactly 
accept  the  ghost  story,  still  believed  that  he  had  a  sort  of 
connection  with  the  goblins  of  the  mountains,  and  that 
he  could  at  any  time  bring  them  forth  at  his  beck  and 
call— that  while  he  was  in  reality  a  being  of  flesh  and  blood, 
he  was  a  sort  of  connecting  link  between  the  real  and  the 
unreal  world.  It  was  believed  that  he  not  only  com 
manded  the  shadowy  representatives  of  the  red  men 
who  inhabited  this  region  ages  ago  ;  but  that  the  spirits 
of  the  more  recently  departed  white  men  also  recognized 
him  as  a  leader.  It  was  also  believed  that,  though  par 
taking  of  the  nature  of  this  world,  having  a  physical 
form  like  other  men,  he  still  so  far  partook  of  the  unsub 
stantial  nature  of  his  shadowy  followers,  that  he  could  at 
any  time  vanish  like  the  shadow  of  a  cloud.  The 
philosophy  of  those  who  held  this  theory,  did  not  ex 
tend  so  deeply  as  to  prompt  them  to  explain  what  became 
of  the  physical  frame  of  the  dual  being,  when  he  dis 
solved  into  nothing. 

As  to  the  ability  of  the  ghostly  followers  of  this 
strange  denizen  to  act  on  physical  substance,  there 
seemed  to  be  a  dispute.  All  apparently  admitted  that  a 
spirit  could  not  of  itself  move  the  slightest  atom  of  mat 
ter,  and  consequently  could  not  do  the  least  personal 
harm  to  a  human  being.  But  many  contended  that  the 
ghostly  legion  could  act  on  matter  through  the  physical 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  77 

agency  of  their  human  representative,  the  strange  Her 
mit  of  the  Catskills ;  that  this  mysterious  individual, 
backed  by  his  legion  of  goblins,  possessed  superhuman 
power  to  move  from  place  to  place  like  a  flash ;  and  that 
under  such  circumstances  he  was  a  match  for  a  troop  of 
mortals  armed  with  the  weapons  of  this  world.  It  was, 
however,  generally  believed  that  he  and  his  ghostly  crew 
possessed  no  power  to  injure  those  who  did  not  interfere 
with  them  in  their  wanderings  through  the  mountain 
solitudes,  or  wantonly  invade  the  deep,  dark  gorge 
where  they  held  their  habitation. 

On  hearing  this  curious  story,  Horace  was  immediate 
ly  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  subject  of  it  must  be 
one  and  the  same  as  the  apparition  which  had  caused 
such  consternation  in  the  pavilion  on  the  night  of  the 
party.  Horace  felt  an  irresistible  desire  to  explore  the 
mountains,  and  fathom  this  mystery.  He  could  not  pre 
vail  on  the  old  mountaineer  who  related  the  story,  to 
accompany  him  on  such  an  exploring  expedition.  The 
latter  would  readily  have  joined  him  in  a  hunt,  had  the 
game  been  panthers  or  catamounts ;  but  goblins  were  en 
tirely  out  of  his  line.  Nor  could  the  old  man  give  him 
any  definite  information  respecting  the  residence  of  the 
dreaded  Hermit,  except  that  he  had  been  most  frequent 
ly  seen  in  a  certain  deep,  gloomy  gorge  ;  dark  with  the 
shades  of  gigantic  trees ;  bounded  by  impassable  preci 
pices  ;  strewn  with  a  debris  of  boulders ;  with  a  boister 
ous  stream  of  water  running  down  the  center.  It  was 
situated  several  miles  from  the  castle. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  Horace  proposed  to  Mr. 
Graphic  an  excursion  to  the  gorge  mentioned'  as  the 
probable  residence  of  the  strange  hermit.  Mr.  Graphic 
was  not  possessed  of  the  feverish  anxiety  of  Horace  to 
unravel  the  mysteries  that  had  environed  the  castle ;  but 
he  was  not  superstitious ;  and  as  the  remarkable  ravine 
mentioned,  promised  rare  work  for  his  brush  and  pencil, 
he  readily  consented  to  the  expedition.  With  two  or  three 
days'  provisions,  two  revolvers  each,  and  a  couple  of  blank 
ets,  they  started  for  the  Plutonian  valley. 

The  old  mountaineer  who  had  given  them  the  inf  orma 
tion,  accompanied  them  for  the  lirst  two  or  three  miles, 
assisting  in  carrying  their  supplies.  Then  giving  them 


78  THE    LEECH   CLUB;    OR,   THE 

directions  for  reaching  the  ravine,  he  returned  ;  first  liar- 
ing  exhausted  his  eloquence  to  dissuade  them  from  so 
presumptuous  an  undertaking.  Parting  from  their  guide, 
their  way  lay  over  trackless  mountains.  Clambering  over 
rocks  and  fallen  trees,  scratched  by  underbrush,  foot-sore 
from  constant  bruises  received  from  the  flinty  pavement 
on  which  they  trod,  they  pursued  their  wearisome  way. 
Anon  they  would  emerge  upon  an  unwooded  tract,  where, 
some  years  before,  fire  had  left  but  a  desert  of  bare  rocks, 
and  black,  scorched  trunks  of  trees ;  where  a  vertical 
sun  poured  down  his  blistering  rays  on  the  weary  travel 
ers.  It  was  indeed  a  relief  to  plunge  into  the  timbered 
solitudes  ;  even  though  greedy  flies  pounced  upon  them, 
to  suck  their  blood  when  the  sun  no  longer  drew  from 
them  a  torrent  of  perspiration. 

Finally  they  reached  a  narrow  defile,  bounded  on  each 
side  by  a  precipice.  From  this  defile  flowed  a  stream  of 
water,  beside  which  there  was  barely  room  to  enter.  This 
they  knew  from  the  description  given  by  the  old  moun 
taineer,  was  the  ravine  they  were  seeking.  Climbing 
from  boulder  to  boulder,  wet  with  the  spray  of  the 
brawling  stream,  they  make  their  way  into  the  defile.  As 
they  proceed  it  widens,  and  soon  they  find  themselves  in 
a  considerable  valley,  bounded  on  all  sides  by  impassable 
walls  of  rock.  And  what  an  overpowering  solitude !  A 
thick  growth  of  timber,  pine,  hemlock,  and  hardwood,  so 
completely  shuts  out  the  light  of  the  sun,  that  a  semi- 
twilight  prevails.  Only  here  and  there  a  few  sickly  rays 
find  their  way  through  chinks  in  the  foliage ;  falling  upon 
the  rou^h  carpet  like  the  last  faint  smile  of  a  dying  suri, 
that  wasrabout  to  depart  forever.  Surely  this  must  be 
the  vale  of  Hades.  Look  which  way  they  would,  they 
were  shut  in  by  a  precipice.  Did  the  demon  of  the  place 
wish  to  capture  them,  he  had  only  to  station  one  or  two 
of  his  goblins  to  guard  the  outlet,  and  he  had  them.  The 
debris  of  boulders  strewn  around,  gave  the  surface  the  ap 
pearance  of  having  been  agitated  by  the  subterranean  ac 
tion  of  a  burning  volcano  underneath.  No  wonder  that 
any  one  the  least  tainted  with  superstition  should  hes 
itate  to  enter  this  miniature  Pandemonium.  But  for  the 
constant  brawling  of  the  stream-  of  water,  the  solitude 
would  have  been  unendurable.  For  a  time  both  Horace 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  79 

ai*d  Mr.  Graphic  seemed  to  be  struck  dumb  by  some  un 
seen  influence  of  this  newly-found  Tartarus.  Mr.  Graphic 
was  the  first  to  overcome  the  spell,  remarking : 

"  Ah !  Horace !  verily  we  have  entered  the  infernal  re 
gions.  I  felt,  when  we  were  passing  through  the  defile, 
climbing,  slipping,  and  sometimes  wading  through  the 
stream,  that  we  were  really  crossing  the  river  Styx,  and  I 
thought  of  calling  the  ferryman  Charon  to  our  aid." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Horace,  "  if  we  don't  meet  that  Stygian 
boatman  or  some  of  his  crew  here,  we  need  not  seek  them 
elsewhere,  but  may  be  content  till  they  come  for  us  of 
their  own  accord." 

"  Hark !  what's  that  ?"  said  Mr.  Graphic. 

"  Nothing  but  the  echo  of  our  voices,"  said  Horace. 
"  Come,  come,  Mr.  Graphic,  you  must  not  begin  to  be 
nervous  so  soon.  Our  researehes  have  not  commenced 
yet." 

"  Don't  fear  for  me,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  as  if  ashamed 
of  the  surprise  he  had  manifested.  "  If  there  is  nothing 
more  dangerous  than  ghosts  here,  I  think  we  shall  be 
able  to  manage  them.  The  most  I  fear  are  panthers  and 
catamounts ;  but  with  our  well  charged  revolvers,  and  our 
trusty  dog,  I  think  we  shall  be  able  to  manage  them  also." 

"  Hist !  Did  you  see  that  ?"  This  time  the  alarm 
came  from  Horace,  and  the  dog  growled.  Mr.  Graphic 
rallied  Horace,  but  the  latter  exclaimed : 

"  The  Lord  preserve  me,  if  I  did  not  see  a  shadow 
dodge  behind  yonder  rock  1" 

"  Quite  likely,"  said  the  other.  "A  gust  of  wind  has 
parted  the  foliage  of  these  dismal  trees,  and  let  in  a  little 
sunlight,  which  departing,  caused  a  shadow." 

"  Such  shadows,"  said  Horace,  "  would  not  be  likely  to 
take  human  shape.  Let  us  reconnoiter  that  rock,  you  tak 
ing  the  right  and  I  the  left  flank."  • 

"  Nonsense !  we  are  too  tired  just  now  to  go  chasing 
phantoms.  Let  us  prepare  our  dinner.  I  believe  there 
are  trout  in  this  stream.  We  will  cut  a  couple  of  fishing 
rods,  and  throw  the  lines  that  we  brought  with  us.  What 
do  you  say  to  adding  some  of  the  speckled  fish  to  our 
commissariat  ?" 

"  Good  ;  we  will  throw  our  lines  into  this  outlet  of  the 
lake  of  Tartarus,  or  the  river  Styx,  whatever  you  please 


80  THE  LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,   THE 

to  call  it ;  and  we  will  have  it  understood  that  nothing 
shall  divert  us  from  our  purpose  until  we  shall  have 
gotten  our  dinner — not  even  a  ghost  throwing  his  line 
from  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  or  Charon  floating 
down  the  current  in  his  ghastly  boat !" 

The  two  friends  were  soon  trolling  their  hooks  and 
lines  over  the  swift  water.  And  they  were  not  mistaken 
in  the  surmise  that  the  stream  contained  trout.  The 
deep  seclusion,  and  water  kept  constantly  cold  by  the 
impenetrable  shade,  evidently  rendered  the  stream  the 
paradise  of  the  delightful  speckled  fish.  They  took 
hold  of  the  hooks  with  the  readiness  of  unsophisticated 
gudgeons,  which  had  not  often  been  tempted  to  their 
destruction  by  the  delusive  bait.  It  was  quite  plain  that 
the  ghostly  inhabitants  of  this  dismal  valley  did  not 
much  indulge  in  the  sport  of  fishing.  The  two  anglers, 
charmed  with  the  successful  sport,  continued  it  much 
longer  than  was  necessary  to  supply  their  immediate 
wants,  and  ere  they  ceased,  a  couple  dozen  splendid  trout 
were  flopping  about  among  the  rocks  where  they  were 
landed,  their  bright  spots  giving  forth  gleams  of  light, 
like  sparks  of  sunshine  in  the  gloom. 

It  was  now  past  mid-day,  and  with  appetites  sharpened 
by  their  rough  tramp,  the  successful  anglers  made  haste 
to  clean  their  fish,  and  prepare  a  fire  to  cook  them. 
With  a  supply  of  butter,  salt,  bread  and  other  necessaries, 
they  soon  sat  down  to  a  meal  that  the  pampered  guests 
of  the  best  hotels  in  the  country  might-  have  coveted. 
The  honest  and  faithful  dog,  Tiger,  was  not  neglected. 
Morsels  as  choice  as  any  were  constantly  thrown  to  him. 
He  lay  off  at  a  respectful  distance,  and  as  he,  with  great 
satisfaction,  discussed  the  good  fare  with  his  masters,  he 
apparently  never  forgot  that  they  had  embarked  in  an 
enterprise  requiring  constant  vigilance.  Anon  the  in 
telligent  brute  would  elevate  his  ears,  knit  his  brows,  his 
countenance  wearing  the  appearance  of  firm  determina 
tion,  but  not  malice,  as  he  glanced  around  into  the 
gloomy  forest. 

The  repast  finished,  the  next  thing  was  to  prepare  a 
secure  lodging  place,  as  a  base  of  operations,  whence  ul 
terior  movements  could  be  made.  An  overhanging  rock 
was  found,  under  which  they  could  stand  nearly  erect.  It 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  81 

formed  a  sort  of  cranny,  not  only  covered  overhead,  but 
inclosed  on  three  sides  by  rock.  It  was  a  work  of  no 
very  great  labor  to  gather  some  heavy  stones,  and  inclose 
the  third  side,  leaving  a  door  barely  large  enough  to  crawl 
in.  With  a  hatchet  which  they  had  brought  with  them, 
they  cut  some  stout  pieces  of  wood,  by  which  they  could 
secure  the  sally  port  of  their  fortress  on  the  inside.  Gath 
ering  some  hemlock  boughs,  they  made  a  very  comfort 
able  bed,  spreading  the  blankets  upon  the  pliant  ever 
greens.  They  thus  prepared  a  sconce,  not  much  larger 
than  was  needful  for  them  to  lie  down  in,  but  a  pretty 
good  defense  against  panthers  and  catamounts,  if  not 
against  nocturnal  goblins. 

Depositing  their  supplies  within  their  Lilliputian  cas 
tle,  they  made  a  brief  survey  of  the  valley.  It  was  not 
extensive,  there  being  not  more  than  twenty  or  thirty 
acres  within  its  precipitous  walls  ;  and  at  no  place  did 
they  discover  a  break  which  would  afford  ingress  or 
egress,  except  the  point  at  which  they  entered.  But 
they  had  not  time  to  make  a  complete  survey,  for  the 
sun  was  sinking  behind  the  lofty  peaks,  and  darkness  set 
in  before  sunset.  They  returned  to  their  fortress,  and 

¥Dt  up  a  lunch  from  the  remains  of  their  dinner, 
hey  then  prepared  a  torch  from  materials  which  they  had 
brought  with  them,  to  be  used  in  case  of  an  emergency, 
and,  with  the  dog,  retired  within  the  portals  of  their  castle, 
secured  the  door,  and  stretched  themselves  out  on  their 
rude  couch  for  a  night's  rest.  The  dog  lay  at  their  feet, 
near  the  door,  and  they  felt  secure  in  the  thought  that 
the  watchful  animal  would  give  the  alarm  in  case  of  the 
approach  of  danger.  As  they  lay  at  ease  in  their  cozy 
retreat,  they  conversed  in  a  low  tone  on  the  subject  of 
their  visit  to  this  secluded  vale. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "what  I  have 
thought  about  the  strange,  and  apparently  supernatural, 
manifestations  that  are  prevalent  in  these  mountains  ?  I 
have  frequently  surmised  that  the  Leech  Club  have 
something  to  do  with  them.  I  have  thought  that  the 
apparitions  are  somehow  gotten  up  to  order  by  them,  to 
keep  intruders  from  frequenting  this  part  of  the  country. 
My  only  fear  in  this  investigation  of  ours  is  that  we 
may  find  ourselves  dealing  with  something  more  sub- 
4* 


82  THE   LEECH   CLUB;    OK,    THE 

stantial  than  ghosts.  What  if  it  should  turn  out  that 
that  conclave  of  public  thieves  keep  a  den  of  outlaws  in 
this  very  glen,  to  do  their  bidding,  and  to  take  care  of 
such  persons  as  may  be  dangerous  to  their  plans  of  pub 
lic  plunder  ?  They  may  have  a  secret  cavern  here  in 
the  mountains,  as  well  for  a  retreat  for  themselves,  as 
for  a  cover  under  which  to  dispose  of  such  as  may  incur 
their  vengance,  either  by  the  knife  of  the  cut-throat  or 
by  a  forced  imprisonment  in  a  cavern-cell.  Should  we 
meet  with  a  gang  of  such  gentry,  we  would  hardly  find 
ourselves  numerous  enough  for  the  occasion." 

"  I  have  thought  the  same  thing,"  said  Horace,  "  but 
the  evidence  that  the  members  of  the  Leech  Club  have 
an  undoubted  dread  of  these  apparitions  has  convinced 
me  that  they  are  as  much  puzzled  by  them  as  we  are. 
Still,  I  think  they  are  rather  glad  of  the  presence  of  these 
mysterious  appearances,  as  they  have  the  effect  of  keep 
ing  away  intruders,  and  the  Club  feel  secure  in  their 
castle  against  any  marauders.  If  the  Club  really  have  a 
gang  of  outlaws  here  in  the  mountains  to  perform  dark 
deeds,  I  feel  certain  there  are  also  another  class  of  mys 
terious  beings  here,  which  have  no  connection  with  the 
Club ;  and  the  latter  are  as  ignorant  of  their  origin,  na 
ture  and  purposes  as  we  are. 

"You  have,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "heard  the  story  of 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  these  mountains  by  the  Dutch 
while  they  held  the  country  ;  how  the  Dutch  Governor 
Kieft  sent  an  agent  to  Holland  with  a  quantity  of 
the  ore,  and  the  ship  on  which  he  sailed  was  lost,  and 
all  on  board  perished.  Kieft  himself,  being  succeeded 
in  office  by  Stuyvesant,  sailed  for  Holland  with  a  quan 
tity  of  the  ore  ;  but  his  ship  was  also  lost,  and  with  him 
was  buried  the  knowledge  of  the  whereabouts  of  the  pre 
cious  ore.  From  that  day  to  this  no  one  has  been  able 
again  to  discover  it.  Perhaps  the  mysterious  beings  lately 
appearing  in  these  mountains  have  discovered  the  valua 
ble  secret,  and  wish  to  keep  all  others  away."  ' 

Mr.  Graphic  did  not  say  this  because  he  thought  it 
probable,  but  only  gave  it  as  one  more  theory ;  as  men 
will  do  when  investigating  anything  concerning  which 
they  are  completely  nonplused.  So  they  continued  to 
suggest  theory  after  theory,  none  of  which  were  in  the 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  83 

least  satisfactory  to  themselves,  until  their  conversation 
died  away  into  the  slumbering  sounds  of  the  cricket  and 
beetle,  and  they  fell  asleep ;  perchance  to  solve  the  mys 
tery  in  dreams. 

Nothing  occurred  to  mar  their  slumbers  till  about  mid 
night  ;  when  a  medley  of  terror  burst  upon  them,  such  as 
has  seldom  saluted  the  ears  of  mortals.     Their  courageous 
dog,  with  a  howl,  as  if  stricken  with  an  overpowering 
fear,  crawrled  up  beside  his  masters.    They  were  awakened 
by  a  medley  of  terrific  sounds  immediately  around  their 
habitation,  which  it  wras  impossible  to  classify.      It  ap 
peared  to  be  a  combination  of  the  yell  of  the  demon, 
the  cry  of  the  panther,  the  warwhoop  of  the  Indian,  and 
the  wail  of  the  damned.     The  awful  sounds  came  from 
the  forest,  from  the  rock  overhanging  their  habitation, 
and  through  every  crevice  of  its  walls ;  as  if  the  fiends 
placed  their  mouths  close  up  to  the  chinks  to  salute  the 
horrified  ears  of  the  two  devoted  men  with  their  demo 
niac  yells.     It  verily  appeared  as  if  the  two  individuals 
were  beset  by  a  legion  of  goblins.    Grasping  their  pistols, 
they  crept  up  to  the  door,  and  endeavored  to  peer  out 
through  the  chinks.     All  was  as  black  as  Tartarus.     Not 
an  object  could  be  seen.     For  a  moment  they  hesitated  to 
light  their  torch,  but  soon  concluded  that,  if  they  were 
beset  by  any  real  danger,  their  assailants  would  not  long 
hesitate  to  make  a  more  substantial  attack  on  their  for 
tress,  and  they  would  be  better  prepared  to  defend  them 
selves  in  light  than  in  darkness.  The  torch  was  accordingly 
lighted,  and  while  Mr.  Graphic  opened  a  small  port-hole, 
and  thrust  the  light  out  into  the  thick  darkness,  Horace, 
pistol  in  hand,  watched  at  another  chink,  ready  to  fire  on 
anything  that  might  be  seen.     The  torch  illuminated  the 
gloomy  trees  and  rocks,  causing  them  to  cast  weird  shad 
ows,  but  not  a  semblance  of  a  living  being  was  to  be  seen. 
Still  the  noises  continued,  but  from  so  many  directions  it 
was  impossible  to  detect  any  particular  spot  as  the  lurk 
ing  place  of  a  member  of  the  horrid  crew.   Sometimes  the 
fearful  sounds  would  die  away  entirely,  and  then  start  up 
again  with  tenfold  terror.   After  watching  for  some  time 
with  torch  protruding  from  the  grotto,  Horace  saw  a  shad 
owy  form  flit  athwart  the  beam  of  light,  and  instantly 
discharged  his  pistol  at  it.     Though  within  point-blank: 


&i  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

range,  and  only  a  few  feet  off,  the  bullet  had  no  effect  on 
the  apparition,  and  it  glided  away  into  the  darkness.  Then 
there  followed  another,  and  another,  and  another  of  the 
weird  figures  across  the  range  of  his  revolver,  at  each 
one  of  which  he  discharged  the  weapon,  until  he  emp 
tied  one  pistol  with  as  little  effect  as  if  he  had  fired  at  the 
empty  air. 

Whether  owing  to  the  discharge  of  the  pistol,  or 
whether  the  ghostly  choir  had  become  wearied  with  their 
infernal  chorus,  the  unharmonious  serenade  soon  ceased 
after  the  firing,  having  continued  about  half  an  hour. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  feelings  of  the 
two  men  as  they  once  more  breathed  freely,  and  had 
time  to  collect  their  excited  thoughts.  Their  grotto  was 
a  place  of  remarkable  security,  being  protected  over 
head  and  on  three  sides  by  immovable  rocks,  and  the 
third  side,  which  was  of  small  dimensions,  was  built  up 
with  heavy  stones.  They  felt  sure,  with  their  four  re 
volvers,  they  could  defend  themselves  against  twenty  or 
thirty  human  assailants.  Neither  of  them  was  supersti 
tious,  but  what  could  they  think  when  their  bullets  made 
no  impression  on  these  shadowy  marauders  ?  Men  may  be 
ever  so  stubborn  in  any  belief,  but  when  constant  ocu 
lar  demonstration  is  presented  to  them,  apparently  dis 
proving  their  firm  convictions,  they  begin  to  waver,  and 
think  they  may  be  mistaken  after  all.  The  demonstra 
tion  which  appears  to  refute  their  previously  strongly 
rooted  belief,  may  be  a  delusion,  still  the  repetition  of 
it  will  shake  their  faith  unless  they  can  get  to  the  bot 
tom  of  it,  and  discover  the  fallacy.  So  the  most  absurd 
isms  of  the  day  find  followers,  if  they  can  only  keep  up 
a  specious  system  of  deceptions  until  a  considerable 
number  of  people  grow  into  the  belief  that  the  plausible 
fallacies  are  real  truths. 

Hard  knocks  and  blows  will  convince  men  of  many 
things,  when  they  have  no  means  of  meeting  their  ad 
versaries  with  similar  arguments ;  and  the  fearful  blows 
just  laid  on  the  moral  constitutions  of  Horace  and  his 
companion  by  the  unearthly  things  which  they  had  just 
witnessed,  were  working  toward  a  change  in  their  opin 
ions  respecting  supernatural  agencies. 

They  had  drawn  in  their  torch,  fastened  up  the  port- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  85 

holes,  reloaded  the  discharged  pistol,  and  taken  means  to 
make  their  grotto  more  secure  than  ever,  and  sat  back  in 
an  easy  position,  apparently  exhausted  by  the  great 
strain  their  minds  had  undergone.  The  dog  sat  looking 
at  them  in  a  cowed,  apologetic  manner,  as  if  to  say : 
"  You  must  excuse  me,  gentlemen,  for  the  non-combat 
ive  part  I  have  acted  in  this  matter.  Show  m«  a  pan 
ther,  a  bear,  a  wolf,  a  catamount,  or  even  a  human  enemy, 
and  if  old  Tiger  don't  show  himself  foremost  in  the 
charge,  then  tie  a  stone  to  his  neck,  and  throw  him  into 
yonder  stream.  But  really,  gentlemen,  this  is  not  in  my 
line.  I  can't  set  these  fangs  into  things  impalpable.  I 
can't  throttle  the  wind,  nor  crush  the  heart  and  bowels 
of  siiadows  without  substance." 

"This  is  fearful  and  wonderful,"  said  Mr.  Graphic, 
finally  breaking  the  silence. 

"  Truly,"  said  Horace,  "  those  were  no  earthly  sounds 
that  we  heard,  nor  earthly  forms  that  I  shot  at ;  though 
I  never  admitted  as  much,  even  to  myself,  before." 

"  You  are  right ;  only  the  fiends  of  Hades  could  get 
up  such  an  infernal  discord.  I  verily  believe  that  Pande 
monium  was  emptied  of  its  goblin  legions,  that  they 
might  give  us  an  idea  of  hell's  concerts." 

"  It,  indeed,  appeared  as  though  a  volcano  had  broken 
forth  in  this  dread  valley,  which,  instead  of  molten  lava, 
sent  forth  an  eruption  of  malignant  spirits  from  the  for 
gotten  graves  of  many  ages  ;  and  that  Beelzebub,  appear 
ing  in  the  midst,  had  organized  an  impromptu  opera,  set 
to  the  music  of  the  Plutonian  realms." 

"  Or,  perchance,  mischievous  spirits  have  been  playing 
on  us  a  tremendous  practical  joke.  You  see  they  have 
left  us  unharmed,  except  the  frightening  we  may  have 
suffered."  Mr.  Graphic  said  this  with  a  sort  of  venture 
at  jesting,  as  if  recovering  from  the  freezing  depression 
that  the  terrific  exhibition  had  caused. 

"  And  after  all,"  said  Horace,  "  this  may  be  but  the 
legerdemain  of  a  few  jugglers  in  pay  of  the  Leech 
Club  " — so  slow  are  men  to  admit  the  truth  of  things 
they  have  made  up  their  minds  not  to  believe. 

"  Such  a  thing  is  possible,"  said  Mr.  Graphic.  "  Three 
or  four  persons  gifted  with  the  power  of  ventriloquism, 
might  have  created  the  hideous  discord,  aud  with  the  ma- 


86  THE   LEECH    CLUB;   OR,    THE 

chinery  of  jugglers,  might  have  caused  the  shadows 
which  you  shot  at  to  flit  before  the  beam  of  light  radia 
ting  from  our  torch ;  but  I  find  it  as  hard  to  believe  that 
so  much  trouble  could  be  taken  to  provide  for  such  an 
exhibition  in  this  out-of-the-way  place,  for  the  idle  pur 
pose  of  frightening  two  humble  individuals  like  our 
selves,  a*s  I  do  to  believe  that  the  affair  was  supernatu 
ral.  I  fear  that  this  must  ever  remain  one  of  those  un 
explained  mysteries  which  have  puzzled  wise  men  from 
time  immemorial.  There  certainly  are  many  well  au 
thenticated  cases  in  which  the  spirits  of  the  dead  have 
apparently  revisited  the  earth  and  conferred  with  mor 
tals.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  I  positively  believe  this 
to  be  the  case,  but  I  do  know  that  there  are  cases  which 
can  be  explained  in  no  other  way." 

"  I  shall,"  said  Horace,  "  leave  no  stone  unturned  to 
fathom  this  mystery." 

"  And  I,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  believe  that  it  is  a  duty  we 
owe  to  mankind  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  it.  As  men  sac 
rifice  themselves  for  a  principle,  or  on  the  altar  of  science, 
I  believe  we  are  justified  in  periling  even  our  lives  to 
solve  the  problem  here  presented  to  us.  Let  us  now  to 
rest,  to  prepare  ourselves  for  the  beginning  of  a  campaign 
to-morrow — it  may  be  against  evil-disposed  men ;  it  may 
be  against  fiends  and  goblins ;  but  now  that  we  are  here, 
let  us  fight  it  out  like  valiant  soldiers  battling  to  know  the 
truth." 

With  this  they  retired  again  to  slumber.  They  were 
not  again  disturbed,  but  slept  till  the  sun  had  shed  as 
much  light  within  the  dreary  valley  as  the  matted  foliage 
of  the  giant  trees  would  permit. 

When  they  issued  forth  upon  the  scene  of  the  previous 
night's  hideousness,  revolver  in  hand,  they  looked  care 
fully  for  any  tracks  of  their  disturbers.  Not  a  sign  of 
anything  of  the  kind  could  be  seen.  The  ground,  littered 
with  the  usual  fallen  foliage  of  evergreens,  bore  no  foot 
prints  of  man  or  beast.  It  is  true  that  living  beings 
might  have  taken  the  pains  to  tread  from  rock  to  rock, 
and  thus  made  no  tracks ;  but  this  would  have  been  a  diffi 
cult  operation  in  the  night. 

The  sombre  valley,  though  gloomy  in  the  extreme,  nev 
ertheless  possessed  features  of  wild  grandeur,  which  called 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSE3LLS.  87 

. 

forth  the  admiration  of  the  artistic  Mr.  Graphic,  and  the 
naturally  poetical  Horace.  The  rugged,  rocky  precipices 
encircling  it,  the  lofty  and  venerable  trees,  the  turbulent 
stream  thundering  down  in  one  almost  continuous  cascade 
through  the  center,  rendered  the  solitary  vale  unique  and 
enchanting  beyond  description.  The  two  sojourners 
again  threw  their  lines  into  the  stream  to  catch  the  blithe 
some  trout  for  their  morning  meal.  Soon  a  number  of 
the  finny  beauties  were  lifted  from  the  foaming  element, 
and  were  capering  on  the  ground  as  if  dancing  the  wild 
dance  of  the  valley,  to  the  music  of  the  roaring  waters. 
No  one  could  grumble  at  the  breakfast  made  at  a  fire 
kindled  in  the  open  air,  with  trout  and  articles  from  their 
haversacks,  and  water  from  the  mountain  stream.  Tiger 
was  encouraged  to  take  his  share,  though  he  appeared  half 
ashamed  to  come  forward,  as  if  he  did  not  approve  of  his 
own  conduct  on  the  previous  night. 

Leaving  their  "  traps"  in  their  hut,  with  the  door  se 
cured,  and  each  armed  with  his  two  revolvers,  they  set 
out  for  a  thorough  exploration  of  the  valley.  Making  a 
circuit  around  it,  they  found  that  the  stream  of  water 
came  down  from  the  top  of  the  cliff  in  a  beautiful  cas 
cade  at  the  head  of  the  vale,  and  that  it  was  increased  by 
powerful  springs  within  the  valley.  They  learned  to  a 
certainty  that  there  was  no  outlet  to  the  glen  except  the 
one  by  which  they  entered.  Having  thus  carefully  ex 
amined  the  encircling  precipices,  they  commenced  search 
ing  every  nook  and  cranny  and  rock  in  the  vale.  The 
dog  had  regained  his  courage  and  joined  in  the  hunt. 

They  had  continued  this  search  several  hours,  without 
discovering  aught  of  interest,  when  Horace  felt  certain  he 
saw  something  dodge  behind  a  distant  rock.  Without 
uttering  the  least  note  of  alarm,  he  quietly  communica 
ted  his  suspicions  to  Mr.  Graphic.  The  two  agreed  to 
move  in  different  directions,  and  head  off  the  skulker 
on  two  sides.  The  dog  was  well  trained,  and  was  kept 
close  to  Mr.  Graphic.  Stealthily  they  crept  through  the 
thick  trees  upon  their  intended  prey.  Finally  they  flank 
the  rock,  each  at  opposite  sides,  and  behold,  there  stands 
a  strange  looking  individual !  On  seeing  the  two  intru 
ders,  he  starts  as  if  to  retreat,  but  the  two,  with  cocked 
pistols,  spring  forward  and  head  him  off.  Thus  he  is 


88  THE   LEECH    CLUB;   OK,    THE 

hemmed  in  by  the  rock  on  one  side,  and  two  men  armed 
to  the  teeth  on  the  other.  The  assailants  would  not  have 
been  the  least  surprised  had  he  vanished  into  nothing, 
but  he  did  not.  He  halted ;  and  in  mutual  silence  assail 
ants  and  assailed  gazed  on  each  other  for  about  a  minute. 
Finally  Horace  exclaimed : 

"  If  my  eyes  don't  deceive  me,  you  are  the  wight  that 
disturbed  the  party  with  ghostly  masquerading,  not  long 
since.  Now  my  good  goblin,  we  will  serve  you  as  a  cer 
tain  man  did  an  ass  which  dressed  in  a  lion's  skin  to  scare 
foolish  people.  We  will  strip  off  your  masquerading 
garb,  and  show  you  to  people  in  your  true  character." 

The  stranger  said  not  a  word,  but  Mr.  Graphic  detected 
a  scornful  smile  play  about  his  mouth. 

"  Come,"  said  Horace,  "  take  off  that  masquerading  at 
tire,  and  let  us  see  what  sort  of  a  monster  you  are." 

"  More  gently,  Horace,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  let  us 
parley  with  him.  I  say,  stranger,  tell  us  who  and  what 
you  are,  whence  you  come,  and  whether  you  have  aught 
to  do  with  the  seemingly  infernal  powers  which  haunt 
these  mountains,  and  more  especially  this  valley." 

The  stranger  at  first  deigned  no  reply,  and  the  expres 
sion  of  his  countenance  was  that  of  ineffable  scorn,  as 
much  as  to  say  :  "  And  who  are  you  that  expect  me  to 
answer  all  the  vain  questions  that  you  see  iit  to  pro 
pound  ?"  Mr.  Graphic  observed  this  lofty  bearing  of  the 
stranger,  and  his  apparent  indifference  to  the  weapons 
leveled  at  him,  and  adopted  a  more  conciliatory  tone,  as 
he  said : 

"  My  good  sir,  deign  to  tell  us  if  you  know  aught  of 
these  mysteries.  We  have  come  here  prompted  by  no 
idle  curiosity.  Our  souls  have  been  so  greatly  vexed  by 
matters  which  we  know  not  whether  to  class  with  the  su 
pernal  or  corporeal,  that  we  could  no  longer  contain  our 
selves  without  making  an  effort  to  unravel  the  "dark 
problem.  Then  graciously  say  whether  it  is  in  your 
power  to  enlighten  us.  Whether  mortal  or  spirit,  if 
you  have  kindly  feelings,  let  not  our  yearning  souls 
starve  and  droop  with  ignorance  !  Give  us  such  knowl 
edge  as  you  have,  and  whether  it  is  what  we  seek  or  not, 
we  shall  be  thankful." 

"  Do  men  asking  favors,"   said  the  stranger,  "  do  so 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  89 

with  weapons  threatening  those  from  whom  they  ask  ? 
You  act  rather  like  the  highwayman,  seeking  what  you 
demand  at  the  muzzle  of  deadly  fire-arms." 

"  True,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  we  have  been  sorely  tried 
here,  and  looked  upon  any  one  we  might  meet  as  a  proba 
ble  enemy.  This  should  serve  as  some  palliation  of  our 
rudeness." 

Here  Mr.  Graphic  lowered  his  weapon,  and  Horace 
did  likewise.  As  if  recognizing  their  disposition  to  be 
civil,  the  stranger  said  : 

"  The  few  who  know  aught  of  me,  call  me  the  'Her 
mit  of  the  Catskills.'  The  remnant  of  my  people  re 
moved  from  these  hills  far  toward  the  setting  sun,  before 
my  birth.  '  I  have  come  here  to  remain  for  a  time  to 
commune  with  the  spirits  of  my  ancestors.  Who  has  a 
better  right  here  than  I  ?" 

"  Then,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  you  claim  descent  from 
the  red  men  who  inhabited  these  hills  many  scores  of 
years  ago." 

"Yes." 

"  Tell  us,  pray,  if  you  know  anything  of  the  wonder 
ful  and  terrible  manifestations  that  we  have  witnessed  in 
this  valley.  Do  you  know  whence  came  the  awful 
sounds  that  last  night  saluted  our  ears,  and  the  strange 
apparitions  that  flitted  before  our  vision  ?" 

"  How  shall  I  know,"  said  the  stranger,  "  what  sounds 
men  hear  or  what  sights  they  see  ?  All  nature  is  full  of 
sounds,"  apparitions,  and  mysteries.  These  mountains 
may  be  just  now  a  favorite  haunt  of  visitors  from  the 
spirit  land.  But  there  is  nothing  here  but  may  be  wit 
nessed  everywhere  on  a  smaller  scale.  Think  you  the 
spirits  of  hundreds  of  generations  never  come  back  to 
their  old  haunts,  or  congregate  in  some  favorite  spot,  to 
hold  communion  ?  I,  as  well  as  you,  hear  sounds ;  but  I 
find  them  not  terrible  nor  discordant.  If  you  have  heard 
the  communications  of  another  world,  and  been  terrified 
thereby,  it  is  because  your  earthly  natures  have  not  been 
able  to  comprehend  the  ways  of  those  who  have  been 
released  from  the  clogs  of  earth.  Some  mortals  are  so 
far  favored,  even  on  this  sphere,  as  to  be  able  to  rise,  in  a 
measure,  up  to  the  standard  of  the  eternal  world." 

"  The  whisperings   from   the  myriads   of  spirits   are 


90  THE   LEECH   CLUB;    OK,    THE 

borne  on  every  night  breeze.  The  spirits  speak  through 
the  branches  of  the  tall  pine ;  they  murmur  in  the  gurg 
ling  stream ;  they  softly  smile  through  the  dainty  wild 
flowers ;  they  thunder  in  the  tempest  and  hurricane ; 
their  shadowy  forms  may  be  seen  in  the  clouds ;  they 
may  be  seen  flitting  on  the  waving  grass  ;  they  glide  in 
fairy  boats  down  the  frothy  current  and  the  snowy  cas 
cade  ;  they  flit  among  the  trees  like  nightly  mists. 
There  is  scarcely  anything  in  nature  in  which  we  may 
not  hear  their  voices,  if  we  only  have  ears  for  them , 
there  is  scarcely  any  spot  where  we  may  not  see  the  dim 
outlines  of  their  forms,  if  our  eyes  have  been  so  far  di 
vested  of  their  earthly  film  as  to  be  able  to  discern  the  in 
finite  from  the  finite. 

"With  myriads  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  unknown, 
intermingling  with  the  known  world,  how  shall  I  know 
what  you  have  seen  and  heard  2  I  myself  see  and  hear 
many  things  that  I  do  not  fully  comprehend,  because  I 
am  not  completely  freed  from  my  allegiance  to  earth. 
Until  then,  I  cannot  enjoy  the  full  and  grand  commun 
ion  with  those  who  have  been  disembodied  from  this 
groveling,  and  soul-confining  world.  I  must  yet  divide 
my  attention  between  the  two  worlds.  You  ask  me  to 
enlighten  you  on  the  mysterious  subject  which  has  so 
greatly  vexed  your  souls.  Can  I  turn  this  hard  rock 
into  a  pine  tree  ?  Can  I  bid  the  pine  tree  speak,  and 
walk,  and  reason,  and  hold  fellowship  with  you  two  men, 
as  if  it  had  been  created  like  you  ?  As  well  may  I  try  to 
call  forth  in  you  understanding  which  is  not  in  you  ;  tell 
you  to  leap  from  the  finite  into  the  infinite,  while  the 
clog  of  earth  is  chained  to  your  souls  like  the  weight  of 
one  of  these  mountains,  keeping  them  down.  If  your 
minds  ever  so  far  grow  loose  from  this  clay  that  you  can 
comprehend  things  a  little  apart  from  this  mundane 
sphere,  which  happens  to  some  favored  mortals,  then 
you  will  know  something  of  these  things  which  have  so 
greatly  exercised  you ;  and  that  which  you  have  denom 
inated  horrid  discord,  will,  perhaps,  appear  to  you  as 
the  music  of  celestial  powers.  Unless  you  in  this  world 
reach  this  beatitude  of  knowledge,  you  will  have  to  wait 
for  your  enlightenment  till  your  spirits  are  disenthralled 
from  the  clay  which  clogs  the  immortal  mind." 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  91 

"  Strange  man,"  said  Horace,  "  you  speak  in  dark 
enigmas.  It  is  remarkable  that  one  of  your  seeming  ed 
ucation  and  intelligence  should  be  given  over  to  such 
hallucinations,  and  that  you  should  banish  yourself  from 
the  rest  of  mankind,  and  persuade  yourself  that  you  find 
sweeter  communion  with  spirits  that  are  not  of  this  world, 
than  with  your  own  fellow  mortals.  Think  of  the  good 
you  might  do  your  own  savage  race,  by  instructing  them ; 
for,  by  some  means,  you  have  evidently  been  favored 
with  a  liberal  education.  But  let  us  get  better  acquaint 
ed.  Show  us  your  habitation,  and  also  visit  our  abode 
here  in  the  valley." 

"  You  have,"  said  the  stranger,  "  asked  something  im 
possible.  I  cannot  show  you  my  habitation,  for  it  is 
like  that  of  those  with  whom  I  here  commune — not  con 
fined  to  any  pent-up  abode.  Neither  can  I  visit  yours. 
My  way  lies  elsewhere  to  answer  a  summons  that  I  would 
not  disobey." 

"  But,  my  good  friend,"  said  Horace,  "you  must 
come  with  us  for  a  few  hours.  We  will  treat  you  well, 
and  regale  you  with  a  dinner  worthy  of  a  Satyr  of  this 
dark  glen.  We  insist  that  you  shall  accept  our  hospital 
ities  for  a  short  time." 

"  I  cannot  go,"  was  the  firm  reply. 

"  Oh !"  said  Horace  good  naturedly,  "  we  will  com 
pel  you  to  go  and  share  our  dinner,  at  least.  We  will 
each  take  you  by  the  arm  and  make  you  temporarily  our 
prisoner,  long  enough  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  your  com 
pany  at  dinner.  We  insist  on  doing  this  to  make  up 
for  the  rudeness  with'which  we  at  first  assailed  you." 

Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  made  a  movement  as  if  to 
enforce  this  hospitality ;  and  doubtless  they  intended  to 
do  so,  for  they  were  determined  either  by  force  or  per 
suasion  to  learn  something  more  of  the  Hermit  of  the 
Catskills.  The  stranger  at  first  manifested  no  uneasiness 
at  their  movement ;  and  this  threw  them  off  their  guard, 
when  he  darted  like  a  flash  between  them,  and  before 
they  had  fairly  recovered  from  their  astonishment  he  had 
dived  into  a  thick  clump  of  bushes  at  the  foot  of  the 
precipice  which  hemmed  in  the  valley.  They  pursued, 
thinking  he  could  not  escape  them,  but  when  they  had 
reached  the  spot  where  the  stranger  disappeared  in  the 


92  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

bushes,  nothing  was  to  be  seen.  There  was  no  apparent 
opening  in  the  precipice,  except  holes  among  the  debris 
of  boulders;  but  none  of  these  seemed  to  present  a 
means  of  escape.  They  did  not  search  long,  for  soon 
the  stranger  showed  himself  at  the  top  of  the  precipice — 
as  he  had  done  to  Horace  on  the  night  of  the  party — and 
immediately  disappeared.  After  vainly  endeavoring  to 
discover  the  means  by  which  the  stranger  had  scaled  the 
perpendicular  wall,  Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  returned  to 
their  hut. 

Taking  their  lines,  they  again  caught  a  few  trout,  and 
prepared  a  good  dinner.  As  they  ate  they  discussed  the 
unfathomable  mystery  that  surrounded  them. 

"  What  fools  we  were,"  said  Horace,  "  that  we  did  not 
at  once  seize  that  strange  object  and  make  him  our  pris 
oner." 

"I  doubt  if  we  could  have  done  it,"  said  Mr.  Graphic. 
"  Did  you  not  see  how  scornfully  he  curled  his  lip  when 
you  demanded  his  surrender?  I  think  he  all  the  time 
felt  confident  of  his  ability  to  elude  us." 

"  He  is  undoubtedly  the  same  mysterious  individual 
that  interrupted  the  party  at  the  castle,  and  with  whom  I 
had  such  a  bootless  race  at  the  risk  of  life  and  limb.  In 
stead  of  advancing  a  step  toward  unraveling  these  mys 
teries,  they  thicken  around  us.  The  thought  almost 
maddens  me.  If  the  ghostly  choir  commence  one  of  their 
rehearsals  about  our  grotto  to-night,  I  shall  march  out 
amongst  them,  though  I  shall  be  confronted  by  the  stalk 
ing  goblins  of  a  whole  grave-yard,  and  seize  by  the  throat 
the  first  one  I  find  within  my  reach." 

"  But  your  experience  thus  far  has  been  that  they  keep 
just  within  tantalizing  distance  of  you,  without  giving 
you  the  opportunity  of  demonstrating  whether  there  is 
anything  sufficiently  substantial  about  them  to  admit  of 
their  receiving  such  punishment  for  their  impertinence 
as  a  good  sound  castigation,  or  a  temporary  suspension 
of  their  respiration  by  being  throttled." 

After  dinner  Mr.  Graphic  took  his  pencil,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  sketch  some  of  the  grand  features  of  the  val 
ley,  while  Horace  wrote  out  an  account  of  their  adven 
tures,  and  his  thoughts  on  the  subject.  At  night  they 
retired  to  their  secure  lodge,  with  the  dog  inside  as  be- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  93 

fore,  trusting  to  the  animal  to  alarm  them  in  case  any 
thing  approached.  They  were  not  disturbed,  and  so 
Horace  had  no  opportunity  to  charge  upon  a  battalion  of 
phantoms.  They  had  concluded  to  spend  one  more  day 
in  the  valley.  After  drawing  upon  the  unfailing  trout- 
stream,  they  partook  of  a  warm  breakfast,  preparatory  to 
another  day's  investigations. 

This  time  they  had  not  proceeded  far  till  they  started 
a  new  species  of  game.  The  dog  seemed  greatly  de 
lighted  that  he  had  finally  found  something  worthy  of  his 
mettle.  He  was  soon  in  full  tilt,  baying  after  a  fox. 

"  Ah !"  said  Horace,  "  the  goblins,  having  exhausted 
their  ingenuity  in  trying  to  frighten  us  away  by  appear 
ing  in  human  shape,  have  now  sent  one  of  their  number 
to  see  what  he  can  do  in  the  form  of  that  cunning  ani 
mal,  the  fox." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  I  should  not  be  surprised 
if  they  had  adopted  this  shrewd  plan  of  sending  a  fox  to 
draw  us  off,  and  divert  us  from  the  real  purpose  of  our 
investigation.  So  we  can  safely  leave  the  four-legged 
goblin  to  old  Tiger,  while  we  pursue  the  nobler  game  of 
bipedal  ghosts." 

"  I  judge  from  the  barking,"  said  Horace,  "  that  Ti 
ger  has  holed  the  vulpine  goblin.  Let  us  at  least  go  and 
see  what  sort  of  a  den  the  dragon  has.  I  have  heard  of 
capturing  a  witch  by  fastening  upon  the  animal  which 
she  had  entered.  It  would  truly  be  a  little  revenge  to  get 
one  of  these  goblins  in  limbo  by  caging  a  fox." 

They  proceeded  to  the  spot  where  Tiger  was  barking, 
and  found  him  at  a  hole  which  seemed  to  penetrate  the  en 
circling  precipice.  There  were  some  boulders  about  the 
hole,  apparently  loose,  which  a  good  lever  might  remove. 
With  the  hatchet,  which  one  of  them  constantly  carried 
in  his  belt,  they  cut  a  stout  sapling.  With  this  they  soon 
pried  out  two  or  three  of  the  boulders,  enlarging  the 
hole  sufficiently  for  the  dog  or  a  man  to  enter  bodily. 
They  had  no  sooner  effected  this  opening  than  Tiger 
made  his  way  into  the  hole.  He  disappeared  entirely 
from  sight  and  hearing.  He  l&d  evidently  found  a  sub 
terranean  passage  of  considerable  extent.  They  called 
and  whistled  to  the  dog,  but  he  had  plainly  gone  beyond 
hearing,  for  he  was  so  thoroughly  trained  that  he  never 


94  THE   LEECH   CLUB  ;    OK,   THE 

failed  to  respond  to  a  call.  Had  he  fallen  down  some 
frightful  chasm  and  been  dashed  to  pieces  ?  But  soon 
this  anxiety  was  relieved,  for  a  scampering  was  heard, 
and  Tiger  came  rushing  out  of  the  hole  in  evident  terror. 

It  was  no  fox,  nor  even  wolf  or  panther  that  could 
frighten  Tiger  in  that  manner.  The  two  men  immedi 
ately  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  seen  some  of 
those  strange  things  which  had  terrified  him  before. 
Here,  then,  was  a  new  field  of  investigation.  Should 
they  enter  that  dark,  subterranean  passage  ?  What  un 
known  dangers  might  they  encounter  there  ?  Yawning 
chasms  ?  Savage  beasts  ?  Robbers  ?  They  had  already 
passed  through  adventures  that  would  have  sorely  tried 
the  nerves  of  most  men.  But  all  this  was  nothing  to 
the  contemplation  of  the  dangers  which  might  lurk  in 
the  dark,  unexplored  cavern  in  the  bowels  of  the 
mountain.  But  danger  was  nothing  to  the  torture  of 
doubt  which  had  taken  possession  of  their  minds.  They 
knew  not  whether  the  strange  things  they  had  encoun 
tered  were  the  results  of  supernatural  agencies  or  the 
juggleries  of  designing  men.  To  solve  this  problem  and 
relieve  their  minds  of  the  terrible  doubt,  they  had  fully 
resolved  to  venture  everything.  Had  a  lake,  appearing 
to  be  the  yawning  gulf  of  hell,  opened  before  them,  they 
would  have  constructed  a  raft  to  ferry  it  over.  Nor 
would  it  be  just  to  call  them  fool-hardy.  Men  have  often 
periled  their  lives  for  a  principle,  or  in  the  cause  of 
science,  and  have  been  highly  applauded.  Here  was  a 
soul-vexing  problem  to  be  solved,  and  those  who  ven 
tured  so  mucn  to  clear  it  up,  exhibited  the  true  spirit  of 
heroism. 

Horace  remained  at  the  mouth  of  the  subterranean 
passage,  while  Mr.  Graphic  returned  to  their  hut  for  the 
materials  to  make  a  couple  of  torches.  He  soon  returned, 
bringing  also  a  day's  provisions,  a  rope  and  their  whole 
supply  of  pistol  cartridges.  Having  prepared  their  torch 
es,  they  had  two  small  cans  of  oil  left  for  replenishing 
them,  each  carrying  one  in  his  pocket.  Thus,  well  pro 
vided  for  contingencies,'  each  having  a  long  wooden 
staff,  they  entered  the  low  subterranean  passage,  the  dog 
following  in  the  rear.  At  first  they  were  obliged  to 
crawl  on  their  hands  and  knees.  The  passage  gradually 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  95 

expanded,  and  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty  feet  from 
the  entrance,  they  were  able  to  walk  erect.  Their  torch 
es  threw  a  sepulchral  beam  of  light  but  a  short  distance 
ahead,  being  unable  to  penetrate  the  thick  darkness  more 
than  a  few  feet.  Carefully  they  walked,  surveying 
every  step,  for  a  chasm  might  at  any  time  open  to  en 
gulf  them.  At  short  intervals  they  set  up  little  piles  of 
pebbles,  to  serve  for  a  guide  to  lead  them  back  to  the 
entrance.  They  soon  found  themselves  in  a  cavern 
wide  and  high,  with  many  chambers  and  ramifications. 
Everything  was  so  still  that  their  footsteps  awakened  the 
echoes,  and  they  could  almost  hear  the  beatings  of  their 
own  hearts.  Occasionally  a  vein  of  water  would  be 
found  issuing  from  the  side  wall,  and  sinking  away  into 
the  seams  of  the  rock.  The  chambers  were  generally, 
however,  remarkably  dry. 

Presently  something  like  a  flash  of  lightning  lit  up 
the  cavern  all  around  them,  and  this  was  followed  by  a 
rumbling  noise  like  thunder,  reverberating  through  the 
innermost  recesses  of  the  cave,  finally  dying  away,  and 
leaving  no  sound  but  that  of  their  quick  beating  hearts, 
and  no  light  but  that  of  the  two  torches.  They  came  to  a 
halt,  and  the  dog  cowered  close  to  them.  Again  they 
advanced  for  a  considerable  distance,  when  there  was 
another  flash,  this  time  a  perfect  blaze,  lasting  for  some 
time  like  continuous  sheet  lightning.  As  their  eyes  re 
covered  from  the  glare,  they  discerned  a  short  distance 
ahead  a  narrow  passage  in  the  cavern,  and  just  as  the 
flash  died  away,  they  thought  they  saw  human  figures  in 
this  passage.  A  rumbling  sound  like  thunder  followed 
the  flash,  and  this  had  no  more  than  ceased,  when  there 
was  another  blaze.  Their  eyes  were  now  directed  to  the 
narrow  passage,  and  now  they  saw  the  unmistakable  out 
lines  of  human  forms,  with  staves  in  their  hands,  ap 
parently  standing  guard  there  to  bar  the  progress  of  the 
two  explorers.  The  flash  died  away,  again  followed  by 
rolling  thunder.  The  passage  guarded  by  the  weird  fig 
ures  was  involved  in  darkness,  for  the  light  of  the  torches 
would  not  penetrate  the  thick  gloom  far  enough  to  reveal 
the  passage. 

Here  was  a  situation  to  try  the  nerves  of  men  who 
would  not  hesitate  to  march  up  to  the  cannon's  mouth. 


96  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

They  knew  not  what  they  were  advancing  against.  They 
might  be  a  gang  of  desperate  men ;  they  might  be  goblins 
from  the  bottomless  pit,  who  could  call  to  their  aid  the 
deadly  lightnings  from  the  molten  bowels  of  the  earth. 
But  the  two  explorers  came  not  here  to  retreat.  They 
pause  but  a  moment  to  brace  up  their  nerves  and  adjust 
their  weapons.  Then  shoulder  to  shoulder  they  give  out 
to  each  other  the  encouraging  and  stirring  word  : 

"  Forward !" 

Few  instances  can  be  cited  of  more  heroic  attitudes 
than  that  of  the  two  explorers  as  they  moved  on  into 
unknown  dangers.  They  proceed  but  a  short  distance, 
when  the  sickly  light  of  their  torches  reveal  the  spectral 
figures  guarding  the  narrow  passage,  but  a  few  feet  off. 
They  stop  to  parley. 

"  Who,  and  what  are  you,"  said  Horace,  "  that  inhabit 
this  gloomy  cavern,  and  why  do  you  stand  there  as  if  to 
block  the  way  ?  We  come  not  to  harm  you,  but  would 
know  who  you  are !" 

At  this  instant  another  flash  of  sheet  lightning  illu 
minated  the  gloom  around,  giving  the  scene  an  awful  and 
weird  appearance.  The  usual  accompanying  roll  of  thun 
der  followed,  and  then  all  was  still.  But  the  figures,  four 
or  five  in  number,  still  maintained  their  position  in  the 
narrow  passage,  and  Horace  continued : 

"  Unless  you  speak,  and  say  you  are  peaceably  disposed, 
we  shall  consider  you  as  enemies  and  outlaws,  and  fire  on 
you." 

"  Audacious  men !"  said  a  voice  from  the  passage,  "  ad 
vance  but  a  few  more  yards  and  you  will  meet  your  death. 
Back  whence  you  came,  while  it  is  yet  in  your  power  to 
do  so.  Back,  I  charge  you,  as  you  value  your  lives !  Be 
fore  you  is  death  in  a  hundred  shapes !" 

"  We  are  not  to  be  intimidated,"  said  Horace,  "  by  any 
of  your  vain  jugglery.  Tell  us  this  instant  whether  you 
are  hostilely  or  peacefully  disposed,  or  we  will  fire  on  you, 
and  your  blood  be  upon  your  own  heads." 

A  loud  sepulchral  laugh,  echoing  through  the  cavern, 
was  the  only  reply. 

"  Speak,    said  Horace,  "  or  we  fire." 

This  was  answered  by  another  laugh,  the  echoes  of 
which  were  drowned  by  the  reports  of  the  pistols  in  the 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  97 

hands  of  Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic.  They  each  took  de 
liberate  aim,  and  fired  two  or  three  barrels  of  their  revol 
vers.  The  echoes  multiplied  the  sounds  as  if  several 
platoons  of  musketry  had  been  fired  off  in  succession. 
They  paused  for  the  smoke  to  clear  away,  that  they 
might  observe  the  effect.  The  spectres  had  not  changed 
their  position.  The  two  explorers  resolved  to  waste  no 
more  ammunition  on  the  goblins,  but  press  them  to  close 
quarters,  and  see  what  effect  a  blow  from  a  staff  would 
have  on  them. 

Again  they  encouraged  each  other  by  shouting,  "  For 
ward."  They  advanced  with  staves  uplifted,  cautiously, 
so  as  not  to  step  into  pitfalls.  As  they  reached  the  nar 
row  defile,  the  figures  appeared  to  glide  away  into  noth 
ing,  and  seemed  to  dissolve  in  darkness.  Proceeding  a 
short  distance,  the  two  explorers  came  to  a  deep  chasm, 
on  each  side  of  which,  close  to  the  wall  of  the  cavern,  was 
just  room  enough  for  a  single  footman.  Here  they  sep 
arated,  each  taking  one  of  the  paths  which  led  around 
the  chasm.  At  intervals  they  saw  the  spectral  figures  in 
front  of  them,  and  as  often  as  they  saw  them,  they  dis 
charged  their  pistols  at  the  flitting  goblins.  The  report 
of  the  pistols  and  the  re-answering  echoes,  and  the  con 
stant  shouting  out  of  words  of  encouragement  to  each 
other,  raised  a  ceaseless  din  in  the  cavern,  as  great  as  that 
created  in  the  open  air  by  several  regiments  of  soldiers 
going  through  the  manual  of  arms.  The  dog,  too,  had 
caught  the  heroic  spirit  of  his  masters,  and  added  his 
Constant  barking  to  the  general  discord.  The  chasm  had 
widened  so  that  they  could  but  just  discern  each  other 
across  its  murky  depths.  Sometimes  pillars  of  rock, 
probably  supports  of  the  cavern  roof,  arose  from  the  gulf, 
entirely  obstructing  their  view  of  each  other. 

The  path  on  which  Horace  walked,  had  for  some  time 
*  been  narrowing,  until  it  had  become  but  a  mere  foothold, 
and  his  position  was  perilous  in  the  extreme.     Finally  it 
dwindled  down  to  nothing,  and  the  wall  of  the  cavern 
was  also  the  boundary  of  the  chasm.     On  examination  he 
saw  that  a  little  farther  on  the  path  commenced  again. 
But  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  reach  this  footing,  un 
less  he  could,  like  a  fly,  crawl  for  some  distance  along  a 
perpendicular  wall  of  rock.      The  chasm  had  grown  so 
5 


98  THE   LEECH    CLUB;   OR,    THE 

wide  that  his  companion  on  the  other  side  was  no  longer 
within  speaking  distance.  It  would  be  impossible  for 
Horace  to  describe  his  situation  to  Mr.  Graphic,  and  if  he 
retraced  his  steps,  his  companion  would  not  know  of  the 
movement,  but  would  keep  on  his  way,  and  they  would 
be  separated.  But  there  was  no  alternative.  Back  he 
must  go.  And  even  this  was  not  so  easy.  He  had  for 
some  time  been  creeping  carefully  along  on  a  mere  shelf 
of  rock,  scarcely  as  wide  as  his  foot,  with  a  high  wall  of 
rock  on  one  side,  and  an  abyss  of  unknown  depth  on  the 
other.  The  least  mis-step  would  land  him  into  the  murky 
gulf. 

He  stood  for  a  moment  to  rest,  and  brace  his  nerves  for 
the  trying  task.  In  turning  around,  he  dropped  his  torch. 
It  caught  on  the  narrow  shelf.  It  is  just  on  the  balance, 
and  is  about  to  topple  over  into  the  chasm.  Horace  be 
comes  agitated  at  the  thought  of  being  left  in  that  ter 
rible  situation  in  darkness.  He  ma-kes  a  spasmodic  move 
ment  to  clutch  his  torch.  He  has  it — (rood  heavens  !  he 
slips,  and  both  he  and  torch  pitch  over  into  the  black 
gulf! 

Mr.  Graphic  met  with  no  obstruction  in  his  journey 
around  the  abyss.  He  had  for  some  time  ceased  to  call 
out  to  Horace,  as  they  were  not  within  hearing  distance, 
and  he  could  only  just  see  the  dim  light  of  his  torch  like 
an  ignis  fatmis,  across  the  gulf.  He  finally  noticed  that 
the  torch  of  Horace  could  not  be  seen,  but  thought  that 
some  turn  in  the  path  might  have  obscured  it  from  view. 
Soon  after  Horace  met  with  the  terrible  catastrophe,  Mr. 
Graphic  came  to  the  end  of  the  chasm.  He  immediately 
crossed  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  cavern,  where  he  ex 
pected  to  meet  Horace.  What  was  his  surprise  on  reach 
ing  that  side  to  find  neither  his  friend  nor  any  signs  of 
the  light  of  his  torch.  There  was  a  path  between  the 
chasm  and  the  cavern  wall,  the  same  as  where  they  sep- : 
arated,  and  Mr.  Graphic  proceeded  up  this  path,  hoping 
to  meet  Horace.  Soon  he.  came  to  a  point  where  the 
path  narrowed  down  to  nothing,  and  only  the  perpendic 
ular  wall  bounded  the  abyss.  The  terrible  truth  flashed 
upon  him.  Horace  must  have  fallen  into  the  gulf.  Then 
Mr.  Graphic  began  to  realize  the  horror  of  his  own  situa 
tion.  It  will  be  recollected  that,  at  first,  the  two  explorers 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  99 

liad  at  short  intervals  heaped  up  small  piles  of  pebbles  to 
guide  them  back  to  the  entrance  of  the  cavern,  but  this 
precaution  had  been  neglected  in  their  encounter  with  the 
strange  apparitions,  and  the  chances  were  that  Mr.  Graphic 
would  never  be  able  to  iind  his  way  out  through  the  laby 
rinth  of  chambers.  He  retraced  his  steps  for  a  short  dis 
tance,  and  sat  down  with  a  feeling  of  utter  despair.  He 
thought  of  the  spectral  voice  which  had  told  them  that 
to  advance  that  way  was  to  go  to  certain  death.  Here 
he  was  alone  in  that  awful,  dark  solitude,  buried  alive  be 
neath  a  mountain,  with  a  short  supply  of  provisions,  and 
oil  to  replenish  his  torch  but  once  more.  His  situation 
was  like  that  of  the  men  spoken  of  in  the  Eastern  tale, 
who  are  buried  in  the  vault  with  their  dead  wives,  with 
only  a  loaf  of  bread  and  a  jug  of  water,  after  consuming 
which,  they  are  doomed  to  die  of  starvation. 

Presently  the  thought  occurred  to  Mr.  Graphic  that 
Horace  might  still  be  alive.  He  went  back  again  as  near 
as  he  could  get  to  the  point  where  Horace's  journey  must 
have  terminated.  He  shouted  the  name  of  his  friend,  but 
his  only  answer  was  the  sepulchral  echoes.  Then  he  fired 
his  pistol  and  listened.  Immediately  he  heard  a  sharp 
report  down  in  the  gulf,  which  could  not  be  an  echo. 
He  fired  again,  and  received  a  like  response  from  the 
depths  of  the  chasm.  He  waited  a  short  time,  thinking 
that  if  he  could  hear  a  report  from  the  gulf  after  the 
echoes  had  died  away,  that  would  clinch  the  matter  that 
his  friend  was  down  there.  He  was  not  disappointed. 
Soon  he  heard  the  crack  of  a  pistol  down  in  the  chasm, 
and  this  time  it  was  nearer.  Horace  was  evidently  alive, 
and  was  drawing  near  to  the  point  where  Mr.  Graphic 
stood.  After  waiting  a  short  time,  Mr.  Graphic  again 
fired  his  pistol  to  guide  the  wanderer  in  the  darkness. 
The  next  time  he  heard  the  report  of  a  pistol  from  the 
chasm  immediately  opposite  the  point  where  he  stood. 
Horace  had  evidently  got  in  a  position  to  see  the  torch 
of  Mr.  Graphic,  and  was  working  his  way  toward  the 
spot.  Mr.  Graphic  waited  about  naif  an  hour,  occasion 
ally  exchanging  pistol  signals,  when  finally  the  report 
seemed  to  come  from  a  point  almost  beneath  his  feet. 
Horace  had  reached  the  perpendicular  wall  of  the  chasm, 
and  could  come  no  further.  The  two  friends  were 


100  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

now  in  shouting  distance  of  each  other,  and  Mr.  Graphic 
distinctly  heard,  the  words : 

"  Let  down  the  rope  !" 

"Ah!  yes,"  said  Mr.  Graphic  joyfully  to  himself,  "I 
had  forgotten  that  I  carry  a  rope  tied  around  my  body."' 

Unwinding  it,  he  fastened  one  end  to  a  craggy  rock, 
so  as  to  make  sure  it  would  not  escape  from  his  hands, 
and  then  he  let  the  other  end  down  into  the  gloom.  Ho 
race  could  see  the  point  where  -the  rope  was  let  down  by 
means  of  the  light  from  Mr.  Graphic's  torch.  The  rope 
was  a  small,  stout  cord,  forty  feet  long,  but  it  dangled 
ten  feet  above  the  head  of  Horace.  By  no  means  could 
he  elongate  his  person  so  as  to  reach  ten  feet  more  than 
nature  had  designed  him  to.  There  were  no  loose  bould 
ers  at  hand  by  which  he  could  raise  up  a  mound  to  ena 
ble  him  to  reach  the  tantalizing  rope.  Mr.  Graphic 
thought  of  a  remedy.  He  drew  the  rope  up,  and  taking 
the  coat  from  his  back,  commenced  tearing  it  into 
strips,  and  twisting  a  rope  therefrom.  He  also  used  such 
other  portions  of  his  clothing  as  he  could  best  spare, 
until  he  had  made  the  rope  the  desired  length,  when 
he  again  let  it  down.  He  had  the  inexpressible  satis 
faction  of  finding  that  his  friend  could  reach  it.  Horace 
took  hold  of  a  loop  on  the  end,  and  Mr.  Graphic  com 
menced  the  laborious  task  of  hauling  him  up.  Hand 
over  hand,  slowly  he  draws  his  friend  from  the  gulf.  As 
he  gets  his  work  about  half  done,  Mr.  Graphic  becomes 
completely  exhausted,  and  is  obliged  to  give  the  rope  a 
turn  around  a  rock,  and  rest,  while  Horace  is  dangling 
like  a  malefactor  in  mid-air. 

It  was  a  terrible  situation.  Horace  was  hanging  on  with 
his  hands,  and  was  already  so  completely  exliausted  that 
his  grip  was-  about  to  give  out,  when  he  would  have 
fallen  about  thirty  feet  upon  the  rocks.  But  human  en 
durance  can  hardly  be  estimated  when  life  depends  on 
it.  Mr.  Graphic  rested  but  a  moment,  and  again  braced 
himself  to  his  trying  task.  With  his  utmost  exertions 
he  could  proceed  but  slowly,  and  every  moment  seemed 
to  be  the  last  that  Horace's  strained  muscles  could  hold 
out  in  maintaining  his  grip  upon  the  rope.  And  the 
task  of  Mr.  Graphic  was  not  much  less  exhausting.  He 
had  to  draw  up  the  wreight  of  his  friend  by  main 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  •  101 

strength,  without  any  aid  of  leverage.  The  warnings 
from  Horace  that  he  was  about  ready  to  drop,  caused  Mr. 
Graphic  to  redouble  his  exertions,  and  still  the  progress 
he  made  was  hardly  more  perceptible  than  the  motion  of 
the  sun  through  the  arc  of  the  heavens.  He  had  gotten 
Horace  within  ten  feet  of  the  top  of  the  precipice,  when 
overtaxed  nature  could  do  no  more,  and  he  wras  again  com 
pelled  to  give  the  rope  a  turn  around  a  rock,  and  stop 
long  enough  to  regain  strength. 

The  situation  of  Horace  was  now  awful.  For  some 
time  past  it  seemed  that  every  moment  would  be  the 
last  that  he  could  hold  on.  He  had  at  each  moment 
discounted  his  strength  for  the  next  moment.  Like  a  man 
pushed  by  merciless  creditors,  he  had  to  pay  large  dis 
counts  for  thus  drawing  on  the  chances  of  the  future. 
He  had  so  greatly  discounted  his  strength  ahead,  that  he 
was  about  to  become  bankrupt  before  reaching  the  de 
sired  goal.  His  banker  of  strength  refuses  to  make  any 
further  advances !  One  arm  drops  by  his  side !  The  grip 
of  the  other  must  Telax  in  a  moment !  The  black,  Tar 
tarian  gulf  yawns  to  receive  him  again !  this  time  with 
a  Procrustean  bed  of  sharp  rocks  prepared  to  impale 
him!  Pray,  banker  of  strength,  give  him  one  more 
small  discount !  Why  withdraw  credit  from  him  when 
he  has  so  nearly  passed  the  crisis,  and  will  be  able  to 
repay  all  with  interest  ? 

When  Mr.  Graphic's  overtaxed  nerves  had  refused  to 
do  longer  their  office,  and  he  was  compelled  to  rest,  he 
observed  to  his  horror  that  the  portion  of  rope  which  he 
had  made  from  his  clothing,  which  had  now  just  arisen 
within  sight,  was  about  to  part.  It  would  seem  that  he 
should  have  tied  that  part  to  the  end  of  the  rope  which 
he  retained  in  his  hands,  but  men  do  not  think  of  all 
contingencies  in  the  excitement  of  danger.  He  stopped 
only  long  enough  for  his  distended  muscles  to  regain  a 
little  of  their  power,  when,  lying  down  upon  his  face 
and  looking  over  the  precipice,  he  saw  that  Horace  was 
about  to  drop.  He  saw  that,  with  the  condition  of  the 
rope,  it  would  be  folly  and  certain  death  to  attempt  to 
draw  him  farther.  All  hope  is  gone !  No,  he  sees  just 
at  one  side,  a  little  below  where  Horace  hangs,  is  a  flat 
rock  jutting  out  beyond  the  wall  of  the  chasm.  If  Ho- 


102  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

race  were  only  hanging  over  this  he  might  drop  on  this 
shelf,  and  rest  till  he  had  sufficient  strength  to  be  hoisted 
up.  Mr.  Graphic  concentrated  all  his  strength,  and  gave 
the  rope  a  swing.  As  it  swayed  to  one  side,  the  cloth 
rope  parted,  and  Horace  dropped  on  the  shelf-rock,  only 
a  foot  or  two  below  him,  in  a  fainting  condition.  Mr. 
Graphic  was  but  little  less  exhausted  than  his  friend,  and 
he  also  lay  for  some  minutes  completely  prostrated. 

On  recovering,  it  was  the  work  of  but  a  few  moments 
for  Mr.  Graphic  to  double  his  remaining  strong  rope, 
fasten  it  to  the  rocks,  and  descend  to  the  shelf  where  his 
friend  lay.  He  found  him  still  unconscious.  Fastening 
the  rope  about  Horace's  body,  Mr.  Graphic  ascended  to 
the  top  of  the  precipice,  and  soon  drew  his  friend  com 
pletely  out  of  the  chasm.  With  water  from  a  flask 
which  he  carried  in  his  pocket,  he  bathed  his  temples, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  he  revived  so  as  to  be  able  to 
speak. 

It  appeared  that  when  Horace  was  first  precipitated 
into  the  chasm,  he  fell  perpendicularly  only  about  ten  or 
twelve  feet,  receiving  no  serious  injury.  He  landed  on 
a  steep,  shelving  rock,  down  which  he  slid  with  great 
rapidity,  to  an  unknown  depth ;  but  his  fall  was  thus 
broken,  and  he  was  comparatively  uninjured.  He  found 
it  impossible  to  ascend  the  steep  rock  down  which  he 
slid ;  his  torch  was  extinguished  and  lost  in  the  fall ;  and 
being  in  darkness,  he  had  no  alternative  but  to  wait  until 
he  heard  a  signal  from  Mr.  Graphic.  Hearing  the  re 
port  of  the  latter's  pistol,  he  groped  his  way  toward  the 
spot  whence  the  sound  came.  Creeping  along  on  his 
hands  and  knees,  feeling  every  foot  of  the  way,  he  as 
cended  a  considerable  elevation  before  reaching  the  foot 
of  the  precipice  where  Mr.  Graphic  stood.  After  a 
time,  in  this  dreary  progress,  he  got  in  sight  of  Mr. 
Graphic's  torch.  He  then  had  an  unmistakable  cynosure 
to  guide  him  in  the  direction  that  he  wanted  to  go,  but 
the  bottom  of  the  gulf  was  full  of  fissures,  and  very 
uneven,  and  it  was  only  with  the  utmost  caution  that 
he  avoided  being  dashed  to  pieces.  He  finally  reached 
the  foot  of  the  wall  where  Mr.  Graphic  stood.  I'he  reader 
knows  the  rest. 

Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  having,  in  a  measure,  recov- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  103 

ered  from  their  terrible  exhaustion,  retired  to  a  distance 
from  the  abyss,  and  sat  down  to  refresh  themselves 
with  a  portion  of  the  provisions  which  they  had  brought 
with  them,  washed  down  with  water  wThich  they  carried 
in  their  flasks.  Their  repast  finished,  their  time-pieces 
told  them  it  was  now  far  into  the  night,  and  they  looked 
about  for  some  more  favorable  place  to  sleep  than  on 
the  cold  rocks.  They  selected  a  spot  where  there  was  a 
deposit  of  dry  soil,  and  as  it  was  warm  in  the  cavern, 
they  could  sleep  very  well  on  this  after  their  exhaustive 
labors.  They  now  had  but  one  torch  left,  and  this  they 
extinguished,  as  it  behooved  them  to  economize  their 
oil.  The  dog  lay  beside  them,  and  thus  they  went  to 
sleep  in  the  vast,  gloomy  cavern,  which  might  perchance 
be  destined  to  be  their  sepulcher. 

After  several  hours  repose,  they  awoke  much  refresh 
ed.  Striking  a  match,  they  lighted  their  torch,  and 
breakfasted  on  nearly  the  last  of  their  provisions,  having 
but  just  enough  left  for  another  meal.  Still,  Tiger  was 
not  forgotten,  sharing  with  his  masters  the  remnant  of 
their  stores. 

The  prospect  of  getting  out  of  this  dreary  prison  was 
certainly  not  encouraging.  They  could  return  around 
the  chasm  by  the  path  which  Mr.  Graphic  came,  but 
having  done  so,  they  knew  not  what  course  next  to  pur 
sue.  They  had  no  guide  to  direct  them  to  the  small 
aperture  through  which  they  entered.  But  they  must 
at  least  make  the  effort.  They  accordingly  threaded  the 
narrow  path  along  the  terrible  gulf  in  which  Horace  had 
been  so  long  imprisoned.  They  could  not  miss  their 
way  here.  But  when  they  got  to  the  end  of  the  chasm, 
they  had  to  strike  out  at  a  venture.  They  soon  found 
themselves  in  a  high,  spacious  chamber,  which  they  did 
not  remember  to  have  seen  before.  They  kept  on  till 
it  terminated  in  a  dead  wall.  There  was  no  outlet  in 
that  direction.  They  were  evidently  on  the  wrong 
track.  They  returned,  and  struck  out  in  another  direc 
tion,  but  soon  found  themselves  in  a  similar  cul-de-sac. 

So  they  continued  for  hours,  striking  out  in  various 
directions  at  a  hazard,  like  mariners  without  a  chart  or 
compass  on  an  unknown  sea.  Finally,  exhausted  and  be 
wildered,  they  sat  down  in  utter  despair.  The  dog  lay 


104  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,.  THE 

at  their  feet,  apparently  comprehending  the  situation,  as 
he  looked  up  into  the  faces  of  his  masters  by  the  dim 
light  of  the  torch.  They  took  but  a  few  mouthfuls  of 
their  small  store  of  provisions,  determined  to  husband 
them  to  the  last  extremity.  After  they  Had  sat  for  an 
hour  or  so,  the  dog  became  impatient,  and  set  out  in  the 
darkness  on  his  own  account.  In  about  half  an  hour  he 
returned,  presenting  himself  before  his  masters,  as  if 
much  pleased  with  some  discovery  he  had  made.  He 
evidently  seemed  to  say  in  pantomime :  "  Follow  me, 
and  I  will  show  you  something  that  will  do  your  hearts 
good." 

A  thought  flashed  upon  the  two  benighted  men  that 
they  ought  before  to  have  given  the  dog  a  chance  to  fol-. 
low  the:  direction  of  his  own  instinct,  for  dumb  brutes 
are  much  more  likely  to  extricate  themselves  from  such 
difficulties  than  men.  They  followed  the  dog,  and  he 
ran  ahead  in  great  glee.  Soon  he  entered  a  narrow  pas 
sage,  which  gradually  diminished  till  it  became  so  small 
that  they  were  obliged  to  stoop.  Finally  the  dog  seemed 
to  reach  the  end  of  the  passage,  and  stuck  his  nose  into  a 
small  hole.  The  animal,  apparently  having  satisfied  him 
self,  backed  away  as  if  to  give  his  masters  a  chance  to  do 
as  he  had  done.  Horace  bent  down  to  the  hole  which 
the  dog  had  left,  and  behold !  he  sees  the  light  of  the 
outer  world !  He  could  not  be  mistaken,  for  there  was 
the  sunshine ! 

With  a  shout  of  ecstasy  he  calls  on  Mr.  Graphife  to 
look.  Having  feasted  his  eyes  on  the  blessed  light  of 
the  sun,  he  turned  and  commenced  caressing  old  Tiger 
as  their  good  genius.  After  their  first  paroxysms  of  joy 
had  subsided,  Horace  exclaimed : 

"It  is,  indeed,  worth  something  to  have  one  more 
view  of  the  sunlight;  but  I  fear  that  must  be  our  only 
satisfaction,  for  I  don't  see  how  we  are  to  get  out  of 
that  small  hole.  Even  Tiger  himself  cannot  get  through 
it." 

"  True,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  but  we  may  find  some 
means  of  enlarging  it." 

"  We  are  not  very  well  provided  with  implements  for 
making  an  opening  in  the  solid  rock,"  suggested  Horace. 

"You  forget,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "that  there  may  be 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  105 

loose  boulders  around  the  opening,  as  at  the  place  where 
we  entered." 

"Even  in  that  case,  we  have  not  the  stout  levers  with 
which  we  removed  those  boulders,  nor  the  room  to 
work  them,  if  they  were  here." 

Mr.  Graphic  examined  the  aperture  carefully,  and  saw 
that  it  opened  on  a  steep  mountain-side.  On  the  outside 
was  a  heavy  boulder  covering  up  the  aperture,  with  the 
exception  of  the  small  hole  through  which  they  saw  the 
light  of  day.  The  boulder  seemed  to  rest  on  a  bed  of 
pebble  stones  on  the  outside ;  and  if  they  could  manage 
to  pry  these  pebbles  from  under  the  boulder,  it  would 
roll  down  the  mountain  of  its  own  weight,  and  they 
would  be  free.  To  accomplish  tSis,  each  had  a  stout 
wooden  staff,  but  these  seemed  hardly  adequate  to .  the 
work.  They,  however,  set  about  it  industriously.  Look 
ing  about  in  the  cavern,  they  found  a  stone  to  serve  for 
a  hammer.  Thrusting  a  staff  through  the  opening,  they 
placed  the  end  of  it  against  a  pebble  under  the  boulder. 
One,  with  the  stone,  pounded  on  the  head  of  the  staff 
until  the  pebble  was  driven  from  under  the  boulder,  and 
was  heard  to  roll  'down  the  mountain.  This,  to  be  sure, 
was  but  a  small  beginning  toward  undermining  the 
boulder,  but  the  rattling  of  that  stone  down  the  moun 
tain  was  an  encouraging  token  that  the  work  was  possi 
ble.  Placing  the  staff  against  another  pebble,  it  was 
carefully  pounded  upon,  so  as  not  to  shatter  the  frail 
wooden  staff,  and  soon  another  pebble  was  rattling  down 
the  rocks.  So  they  'kept  up  the  work,  the  pebbles  bowl 
ing  down  the  mountain  at  intervals.  Had  any  one  hap 
pened  along  at  that  time,  he  would  have  declared  that 
the  goblins  of  the  mountains  were  hurling  stones  at  him, 
and  the  impression  would  soon  have  prevailed  that 
ghosts  could  exercise  physical  force. 

The  work  proceeded  slowly,  and  after  they  had  con 
tinued  it  far  into  the  night,  and  completely  used  up  one 
of  their  staves,  the  boulder  showed  no  signs  of  moving. 
They  partook  sparingly  of  their  remaining  provisions, 
and  lay  down  for  a  short  sleep.  When  they  awoke  the 
sun  had  arisen,  and  they  set  immediately  about  their 
work.  It  was  encouraging  that,  while  they  were  im 
prisoned,  it  might  be  with  small  chances  of  release,  they 
could  actually  see  the  sun.  One  of  their  staves  was  en- 


106  THE   LEECH   CLUB;   OR,  *THE 

tirely  shattered  to  pieces,  and  if  the  other  also  should 
become  unfit  for  use,  their  case  was  hopeless.  They 
wound  the  head  of  it  with  strands  of  their  rope,  and 
used  it  with  the  utmost  care.  It  performed  its  office 
well  for  awhile,  but  gradually  became  splintered,  in  fact 
almost  useless.  Still  the  boulder  stood  as  firm  as  ever, 
and  their  staff  will  not  serve  for  the  removal  of  more 
than  two  or  three  more  pebbles.  Now  the  piece  of 
wood  is  completely  used  up.  They  both  put  their  shoul 
ders  against  the  boulder,  and  it  is  as  firm  as  the  moun 
tain.  With  listless  purpose,  Horace  takes  the  splintered 
staff,  places  it  against  another  pebble,  and  pounds  on  it 
in  an  aimless  manner,  as  if  he  did  not  expect  to  accom 
plish  anything.  The  pebble  starts,  and  immediately 
there  is'a  rattling  of  the  other  pebbles,  and  the  boulder 
rolls  down  the  mountain  with  a  crash,  like  a  ricochetting 
cannon  ball  shot  from  a  gun  of  the  heaviest  caliber! 
Horace  had  removed  a  keystone  from  among  the  peb 
bles,  and  the  remaining  structure  of  cobblestones  under 
the  boulder  had  given  away,  and  the  prisoners  were 
free. 

They  looked  at  each  other  in  dumb  astonishment. 
They  embraced  each  other  and  fell  on  their  knees,  ren 
dering  thanks  to  the  Supreme  being,  who  had  released 
them  as  by  a  miracle.  They  walked  forth  into  the  air 
as  men  raised  from  the  tomb.  Tiger  frisked  about  and 
barked  joyously,  as  if  fully  appreciating  the  deliverance. 
After  their  terrible  tribulations,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
describe  their  ecstasy  as  they  once  more  breathed  the  fra 
grant  air  of  the  mountains,  warmed  by  the  rays  of  the 
bright  sun,  and  cheered  by  warbling  birds.  How  differ 
ent  this  from  the  dreary  sepulchral  cavern,  where  they 
had  spent  the  best  part  of  three  days ! 

After  praises,  and  congratulations,  they  ate  what  little 
remained  of  their  provisions,  and  then  set  about  finding 
their  hut,  where  they  might  refresh  themselves  with  a 
full  meal.  But  what  was  their  astonishment,  after  travel 
ing  for  a  considerable  distance,  to  find  they  were  not  in 
the  valley  ?  They  had  penetrated  through  the  encircling, 
precipitous  ridge,  which  hemmed  in  the  valley,  and  came 
out  on  the  other  side.  This  fact  gradually  became  im 
pressed  upon  them ;  and  after  recognizing  it,  they  deter- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  107 

mined  not  to  attempt  to  find  their  way  back  into  the 
valley,  but  to  start  immediately  for  the  Club  House. 
They  remembered  enough  of  the  landmarks  to  enable 
them  to  find  the  route  by  which  they  came. 

Disencumbered  of  any  luggage,  they  made  rapid  pro 
gress.  They  were  in  rather  a  sorry  plight.  Mr.  Graphic 
was  without  a  coat,  and  the  clothing  of  both  was  much 
the  worse  for  their  subterranean  explorations.  Their 
plans  for  the  future  demanded  that  none  of  the  inmates 
of  the  Club  House  should  know  aught  of  their  adven 
tures.  It  was  therefore  arranged  to  say  at  the  house  that 
they  had  been  lost  in  the  mountains,  which  would,  in 
deed,  be  the  truth. 

"  Well,"  said  Horace,  as  they  proceeded  on  thejr  way, 
"  our  labors  have  not  been  entirely  in  vain.  We  have 
discovered  some  of  the  secrets  of  that  wild  valley  that 
will  be  of  great  service  in  a  future  exploration.  With  a 
sufficient  force  of  men,  I  propose  yet  to  ferret  out  those 
redoubtable*  gob!  ins.  After  all  we  have  seen,  I  yet  don't 
believe -that  those  are  supernatural  beings.  I  believe  that 
it  is  some  consummate  legerdemain.  At  all  events,  if  they 
are  ghosts,  they  are  not  truthful  ones.  You  recollect 
that,  shortly  after  we  entered  the  cavern,  the  goblins  in 
the  narrow  passage  told  us  if  we  advanced  that  way,  it 
would  be  to  certain  death.  But  we  drove  the  craven 
ghosts  from  their  position,  and  here  we  are  alive  yet. 
Y ou  see  those  were  lying  ghosts." 

"  If  we  did  not  advance  to  certain  death,"  said  Mr. 
Graphic,  "  we  went  to  that  which,  in  my  opinion,  was 
infinitely  worse  than  death  ;  and  perhaps  that  is  what  the 
goblins  meant.  As  for  driving  them  from  their  position, 
I  am  not  so  certain  but  it  was  their  plan  of  warfare  to 
lead  us  on  where  we  would  stand  a  good  chance  to  de 
stroy  ourselves.  They  certainly  displayed  excellent  mili 
tary  tactics  in  that.  For  my  part,  I  cannot  decide  in  my 
own  mind  whether  they  are  goblins  or  men." 

"  The  Hermit  of  the  Catskills,"  said  Horace,  "  whom 
we  encountered  in  the  valley,  has  been  the  most  puzzling 
being  of  the  whole  to  me." 

"  We  did  not  get  our  hands  on  him,"  said  Mr.  Graphic, 
"  nor  have  I  yet  heard  of  any  one  who  has  ever  touched 
him,  to  be  able  to  say  whether  he  is  man  or  goblin.  I 


108  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OE,  THE 

have  heard  considerable  about  him  at  the  Club  House, 
but  no  one  has  ever  been  known  to  come  in  palpable 
contact  with  him." 

Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic,  and  Tiger  reached  the  Club 
House  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  Their  expla 
nation  of  having  been  lost  in  the  mountains  was  readily 
accepted,  and  they  were  not  closely  questioned.  With 
the  good  cheer  provided  in  the  castle,  they  were  in  a  day 
or  two  recuperated,  as  good  as  new. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  GRINDING  COURT. 


THE  Leech  Club  did,  indeed,  govern  a  State  and  a 
great  City.  At  least  they  misgoverned  them,  as  was 
said  by  those  who  had  not  become  dazzled  by  their  ab 
normal  splendors.  They  did  not  waste  much  time  and 
expense  in  the  administration  of  justice.  They  wanted 
the  money,  which  they  obtained  by  their  superior  inge 
nuity  from  the  tax-payers,  for  other,  and  to  their  notion, 
better  purposes.  Though  the  Leech  Club  had  plenty  of 
money,  they  found  many  other  ways  of  spending  it  than 
by  maintaining  a  sufficient  number  of  high-toned  judges 
to  administer  criminal  justice  in  their  city.  As  the 
city  and,  of  course,  the  courts  belonged  to  them,  they 
could  easily  see  to  it  that  their  friends  were  not  subject 
to  any  injustice.  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  correct  to 
say  that  they  looked  out  that  their  friends  did  not  get 
justice  done  them.  Justice  was  probably  the  last 
thing  they  would  have  asked  for  themselves,  and  the 
last  thing  they  were  willing  to  concede  to  those  who  were 
not  of  their  number.  They  had  established  an  entirely 
new  order  of  things. 

They  were  a  progressive  people.     The  old-fogyism  of 

n":  generations  was  no  part  of  their  polity.      The  idea 
prevailed  for  ages  that  law  and  political  economy 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  109 

were  supposed  to  be  founded  on  justice.  They  had 
practically  demonstrated  that  the  great  principles  that 
underlie  the  superstructure  of  government  could  just  as 
well  be  founded  on  injustice.  The  old  proverb,  "There 
is  no  disputing  a])out  tastes,"  was  parodied  by  the  Leech 
Club,  who  practically  said,  "There  is  no  disputing  about 
right."  It  did,  indeed,  seem,  from  their  success  in  wrong 
doing,  that  right  and  wrong  were  only  matters  of  opin 
ion.  Why  might  it  not  be  just  as  right  to  steal  your 
neighbor's  property,  as  to  work  and  soil  your  own  hands 
fora  living?  You  might  still  leave  him  enough  to  live 
on  ;  and  then,  perhaps,  he  is  contented  to  work,  while 
you  can  serve  the  public  better  in  some  other  capacity. 
And  you  may  be  of  a  much  more  liberal  nature  than  the 
hard-fisted  people  from  whom  you  steal,  who  perhaps 
would  only  hoard  up  their  hard-earned  dollars,  never 
using  any  of  them  for  the  refined  purposes  of  society. 
You  may  spend  the  money  in  genial,  social  enjoyments 
with  like  spirits  as  yourself ;  you  may  even  invite  the 
mudsills  from  whom  you  steal,  to  partake  of  the  fag- 
ends  of  your  feasts.  If  you  steal  a  very  large  pile,  you 
may  also  build  a  church,  establish  a  school,  endow  a  pro 
fessor-ship — of  the  science  of  commendable  stealing,  for 
instance — in  a  college.  It  is  so  easy  to  be  liberal  with 
other  people's  money. 

And  this  is  one  great  argument  for  the  beneficence  of 
stealing.  A  man  is  not  so  apt  to  be  liberal  with  money 
which  has  cost  him  the  toil  of  his  bone  and  muscle,  or 
the  exhausting  labor  of  the  brain,  while  the  man  who 
steals  large  sums,  not  having,  like  his  less  fortunate 
neighbor,  fairly  coined  his  blood  into  cash,  is  naturally 
liberal  with  that  which  he  obtained  at  so  little  cost 
to  himself.  .Some  believe  that  the  largest  charities 
come  from  those  who  steal,  or  obtain  by  some  sort  of 
chicanery,  the  funds  which  they  so  generously  give 
away.  Then  why  is  not  stealing  right,  since  the 
thief  may  give  back  to  public  and  private  charities  a  por 
tion  of  the  substance  which  he  steals  from  that  same 
public  and  from  individuals  ?  And  if  he  has  impover 
ished  many  by  his  stealing,  then  that  which  he  gives  in 
charity  may  go  to  support,  in  their  poverty,  the  very  per 
sons  from  whom  he  stole  ;  and  thus,  the  public,  having 


110  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

cast  their  bread  upon  the  waters,  find  it  coming  back  to 
them  after  many  days.  Some  persons  might  say  they 
would  rather  be  their  own  almoners  than  to  place  their 
substance  in  the  annuity-company  of  thieves  ;  but  people 
who  hold  such  views  are  not  members  of  the  Leech  Club. 

As  has  been  intimated,  the  Leech  Club  found  it  un 
necessary  to  maintain  an  elaborate  system  of  machinery 
for  the  administration  of  justice.  They  could  save 
money  for  their  own  social  and  beneficent  purposes,  and 
much  better  carry  out  their  new  system  of  political 
economy — that  there  is  no  difference  between  right  and 
wrong,  and  that  wrong  is  nearer  right  than  right  itself — 
by  having  a  Grinding  Court,  which,  when  set  in  motion, 
disposed  of  cases  with  the  celerity  of  the  much-lauded 
guillotine,  which  an  ingenious  Frenchman  is  said  to  have 
run  by  steam.  This  Grinding  Court  had  two  hoppers, 
each  one  of  which  was  labeled :  "  Injustice",  the  true 
road  to  justice." 

But  since  both  hoppers  were  labeled  the  same,  what 
was  the  difference  between  them  ?  Very  material.  One 
hopper  led  to  a  revolving  cylinder  set  with  sharp  teeth, 
like  a  farmer's  threshing  machine,  and  the  victim, 
plunged  into  that  hopper,  if  he  emerged  again  at  all, 
came  out  lacerated  like  straw,  the  grain  having  all  been 
threshed  out  of  him.  The  other  hopper  led  simply  to  a 
wooden  cylinder,  provided  with  comfortable  seats,  and 
those  who  went  in  at  this  hopper  merely  became  seated, 
and  took  a  pleasant  ride  on  the  cylinder,  as  on  a  revolv 
ing  swing.  They  came  out  rather  refreshed  than  other 
wise.  When  a  person  was  brought  before  the  Grinding 
Court,  his  punishment  depended  entirely  on  which  hopper 
he  was  put  through.  If  he  happened  to  be  a  friend  of  the 
Leech  Club,  he  went  in  at  the  hopper  which  led  to  the 
wooden  cylinder,  and,  swinging  around  in  a  manner 
that  reminded  him  of  his  childhood's  sports,  he  came 
out  impressed  with  admiration  of  those  who  could  make 
punishment  so  pleasant.  But  if  he  was  unknown  to  the 
Leech  Club,  or  what  was  worse,  one  whom  they  regarded 
with  disfavor,  then  he  went  in  at  the  hopper  which  led 
to  the  iron-toothed  cylinder,  and  there  was  little  left  of 
him  but  chaff,  or  at  the  best,  straw,  when  he  came  out. 
The  Club  had  at  their  disposal  the  means  of  selecting 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  Ill 

just  sncli  judges  and  juries  as  they  desired  to  run  this 
Court. 

Any  one  who  incurred  the  great  displeasure  of  the 
Leech  Club  was  liable  to  be  brought  before  the  Grinding 
Court.  The  unfortunate  person  might  live  in  the  city, 
or  he  might  reside  in  the  distant  rural  districts.  The 
Club  would  conjure  up  some  device  to  get  him  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  their  Court,  and  then  grind  him 
through  whichever  hopper  they  pleased.  If  he  proved 
pertitent  in  regard  to  having  4oft'ended  the  Club,  there 
was  a  possibility  that  he  might  get  himself  put  through 
the  wooden  machine,  and  so  come  out  after  a  little  pleas 
ant  shaking  up,  which  only  jarred  a  few  kernels  of 
grain  out  of  him.  But  if  he  proved  to  be  a  stickler  for 
principle,  he  went  through  the  other  machine,  which 
was  said  to  be  fashioned  after  the  rack  of.  the  Inquisition. 

It  was  past  midnight,  when  on  one  of  the  much-fre 
quented  avenues  of  the  city  of  the  Leech  Club,  was  seen 
a  young  man  clinging  to  a  lamp-post.  It  is  not  an  un 
common  thing  to  see  men  in  cities  hugging  a  lamp  post 
as  if  it  were  a  dear  brother.  Nor  is  it  so  very  uncommon 
in  rural  villages  to  see  men  making  love  to  a  sign  post,  a 
tree,  or  other  object,  whose  erectness  may  lead  the  weak- 
kneed  individual  to  infer  that  they  are  embracing  one  of 
their  species  who  is  simply  standing  there  waiting  for  a 
shower,  to  have  his  thirst  slaked  by  the  rains  of  heaven. 
Doubtless  they  say :  "  Hick — my  good  fellow — hick — 
you  must  be— hick — hard  up — hick — to  be — hick — wait- 
in'  here — hick — for  a  drink.  Hick — hold  me  up — hick — 
a  little — hick — and — hick — I'll — hick — treat  you." 

But  the  young  man  referred  to,  was  evidently  not  one 
of  those  accustomed  to  be  caught  in  such  plights.  He 
was  plainly,  but  decently,  dressed,  his  countenance  did 
not  wear  the  besotted  appearance  of  the  habitual  drinker, 
and  he  was  apparently  from  the  country.  As  a  policeman 
approached,  two  or  three  well  dressed  men  were  seen  to 
disappear  around  the  corner,  with  an  audible  chuckle. 
The  young  man  was  taken  to  the  nearest  station-house, 
where  he  was  detained  all  night,  and  the  next  morning 
he  was  transferred  to  the  chief  city  prison.  As  he  was 
not  aware  of  having  committed  any  crime,  he  expected 
to  be  brought  at  once  to  trial  and  dismissed.  But  the 


112  THE   LEECH    CLUB  ;   OK,    THE 

Grinding  Court  was  not  yet  ready  to  put  him  through 
the  mill ;  he  was  simply  brought  before  that  august  body 
and  compelled  to  sign  a  document,  postponing  his  hear 
ing  for  several  days.  He  was  then  conveyed  to  a  loath 
some  cell  in  the  prison,  provided  with  a  straw  mattress, 
alive  with  vermin  and  reeking  with  filth.  His  pockets 
had  been  picked,  and  if  he  had  any  friends  in  the  city 
who  might  be  disposed  to  aid  him,  he  could  not  communi-  • 
cate  with  them ;  for  the  officers  of  the  prison  would  not 
stir  a  peg  to  do  any  such  act  of  kindness  as  to  conve^  a 
message,  short  of  a  fee  of  ten  dollars.  He  was  as  good 
as  buried  in  the  tombs,  as  far  as  intercourse  with  the  out 
side  world  was  concerned,  and  he  could  only  come  forth 
through  the  process  of  the  Q-rinding  Court.  He  must 
wait  till  the  flume-gates  were  opened,  and  the  current  of 
wrath  let  upon  the  wheel  which  drives  the  machinery. 

He  had  in  his  cell,  for  company,  besides  the  vermin,  a 
fellow-prisoner,  about  his  own  age.  In  conversation,  this 
young  man  stated  that  he  was  a  "  dry-goods  man,." 

"  Ah  !"  said  the  countryman,  "  it  seems,  then,  that  it  is 
not  uncommon  for  men  of  the  better  class  to  get  in  this 
horrible  place.  Are  you-  the  owner  of  a  dry-goods  store, 
or  a  clerk  ?" 

"  Well,  now,"  said  the  '  dry-goods  man,'  "  you're  a 
green-un — green  as  a  young  gull  jist  out  o'  the  shell." 

"  What  do  you  mean  then,  pray,  by  saying  you  are  a 
dry-goods  man?" 

"Why,  gawky,  I'm  a  sort  of  commercial  traveler,  that 
goes  about  among  the  large  stores  examinin'  samples. 
When  I  come  across  a  sample  as  pleases  me,  I  take  it,  that 
is,  if  no  one  happens  to  be  lookin'.  I've  a  good  many 
ways  of  gettin'  off  with  it.  Sometimes  I  drop  my  high- 
crowned  hat  accidentally  on  the  floor,  stoop  down,  pick 
it  up,  put  the  costly  piece  of  goods  in  it,  and  put  it  back 
on  my  head.  Then  agin  I  manage  to  git  the  goods  inside 
my  coat,  where  I  have  a  place  fixed  for  it.  Sometimes  I 
make  believe  I  want  to  fix  my  garter,  and  stick  the  goods 
inside  my  boot.  You  see,  if  you  only  git  the  right  kind 
of  goods,  apiece  worth  a  hundred  or  two'of  dollars  don't 
make  any  bulk  at  all,  hardly.  When  I  make  a  good  haul 
this  way,  I  always  buy  and  pay  for  some  article  before 
leavin'  the  store,  to  drive  away  suspicion.  But  I  wouldn't 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CAT8KILLS.  113 

advise  you  to  go  into  this  kind  of  business  without  first 
servin'  a  'prenticeship,  for  it  needs  one  as  knows  how,  and 
he  must  be  a  good  judge  of  goods." 

The  countryman  now  began  to  comprehend  that  his  fel 
low  prisoner  was  a  shop-lifter,  and  he  evidently  had  no 
desire  to  go  into  this  kind  of  dry-goods  business,  for  he 
made  no  remark  on  the  explanation  of  the  other.  After 
a  short  pause  the  "  dry-goods  man  "  said : 

"  Tell  me,  now  pal,  what  you're  in  here  for." 

"  That,"  said  the  countryman,  "  is  more  than  I  know 
myself.  I  was  persuaded  by  some  city  people  who  were 
staying  in  the  country  near  where  I  live,  to  come  to  the 
city.  They  said  this  was  the  place  for  a  young  man  to 
rise  in  the  world,  and  that  they  would  get  me  a  situation 
in  a  wholesale  house  as  a  salesman,  where  I  would  soon 
be  able  to  make  three  thousand  dollars  a  year.  They 
even  took  so  much  interest  in  my  case  as  to  send  a  young 
man  with  me  to  the  city,  to  introduce  me  to  the  firm  who 
wanted  a  salesman  from  the  country.  The  young  man 
who  came  with  me  to  the  city  soon  fell  in  with  three  of 
his  acquaintances,  and  he  left  me  at  a  hotel  with  these, 
while  he  went  to  see  the  firm  that  was  to  hire  me.  I  have 
not  seen  him  since.  While  he  was  gone,  we  all  sat  down 
to  a  private  table  by  ourselves,  in  the  hotel,  to  take  din 
ner.  There  was  wine  on  the  table,  and  the  young  men 
drank  freely  of  it,  and  invited  me  to  do  the  same.  I  did  not 
care  to  drink  it,  but  they  poured  out  a  glass  and  pressed 
it  on  me.  I  only  drank  two  glasses.  I  don't  know  what 
happened  afterwards.  This  morning  I  awoke  and  found 
myself  a  prisoner  in  the  station-house.  Soon  after,  I  was 
brought  to  this  prison.  "What  I  am  charged  with,  and 
how  this  has  all  happened,  is  a  mystery ;  for  I  know 
that  two  small  glasses  of  wine  could  not  have  made  me 
drunk." 

Here  the  dry-goods  man  put  his  finger  to  his  nose,  and 
ejaculated : 

"  Drugged  !" 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"  Why,  them  fellers  that  eat  dinner  with  you,  drugged 
your  wine." 

"  But  they  were  friends  of  the  young  man  that  came 


114:  THE    LEECH    CLUB  J    OK,    THE 

to  the  city  to  aid  me  in  getting  a  situation.  They  cer 
tainly  would  not  do  such  a  thing  as  that." 

"  Did  you  have  any  money  ?" 

"  Only  twenty  dollars,  and  I  know  that  men  dressed 
like  them,  with  diamond  rings  on  their  fingers,  and  gold 
watches  in  their  pockets,  and  plenty  of  money  as  I  saw 
them  have,  would  not  take  the  trouble  to  drug  me  for 
twenty  dollars." 

"  May  be  they  expected  to  get  more ;  and  may  be  you 
stood  in  their  wav,  and  kept  them  from  gettin'  a  larger 
pile." 

"  I  don't  see  how  that  could  be.  I  rather  fear  that  they 
have  all  been  murdered  for  their  gold  watches,  diamonds 
and  money ;  while  1  have  escaped  because  I  had  nothing 
worth  killing  me  for." 

"  You  needn't  be  a  bit  af eared  of  that." 

"  Now,  pal,"  continued  the  dry-goods  man  after  a  short 
pause, "  let  me  give  you  a  bit  of  good  advice.  When 
you're  brought  up  afore  the  Court,  plead  guilty." 

"  Guilty  of  what?     I've  done  nothing." 

"  No  matter,  plead  guilty.  It's  hot  weather,  and  the 
Court  don't  like  to  be  bothered  investigatin'  cases.  If 
you  jist  plead  guilty,  and  don't  give  the  Court  any  trouble, 
you'll  likely  git  off  with  thirty  days  in  the  stone  quarries 
at  the  penitentiary.  But  if  you  go  to  bother'n'  'em,  ten 
chances  to  one  if  you  don't  git  six  or  nine  months." 

"I  shall  not  plead  guilty  when  I  know  I'm  innocent ; 
and  they  cannot  send  me  to  the  penitentiary  for  any 
thing  I  have  done.  Some  one  ought  to  be  sent  to  the 
quarries  for  robbing  me." 

"  Pal,  I  know  the  ropes  of  this  ere  city  better'n  you  do. 
Take  a  friend's  advice,  and  don't  depend  too  much  on 
innocence  to  git  you  clear.  Why,  I've  knowed  men  jist 
Like  you,  that  wasn't  used  to  drinkin',  to  git  the  worse  of 
a  glass  or  two,  or  may  be  they'd  been  drugged,  and  found 
tight  in  the  streets.  And  when  they  was  brought  into 
court,  they  thought  they'd  git  clear  because  they  hadn't 
done  nothing.  So  they'd  plead  not  guilty,  and  tlie  judge 
would  git  mad  because  they  bothered  the  court,  and  sent 
them  for  six  months ;  when  if  they'd  plead  guilty,  they 
wouldn't  ha'  got  more'n  thirty  days  at  the  outside. 

"  I'll   tell    you,  pal,"  continued  the   dry-goods    man, 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  115 

"how  things  is  done  here.  The  court  don't  take  any 
trouble  to  find  out  whether  a  man's  guilty  or  not.  All 
they  care  about  is  to  git  through  with  the  cases,  and  not 
injure  their  friends.  If  a  man's  got  friends  outside,  or 
political  influence,  there  is  no  danger  of  him  at  all.  He 
will  be  discharged  at  sight.  No  matter  what  he  s  done, 
if  he's  got  friends  among  the  rulers  of  the  city,  when 
he's  brought  into  court,  he'll  be  discharged  with  only  the 
least  bit  of  an  excuse  for  a  hearin'.  And  if  the  man 
that  appears  agin  him  should  stick  to  it,  and  try  to 
have  him  convicted,  the  chances  is  that  the  prosecutor 
will  git  sent  to  the  cells,  and  the  other  will  go  out  on  bail. 
Why,  I  once  seen  a  man  brought  into  court  for  stealin' 
a  stranger's  watch  and  money.  The  feller  had  the  watch, 
and  give  it  up  to  the  stranger  right  there  in  court,  but  he 
said  he  had  spent  the  money,  and  couldn't  give  that  up. 
The  judge  then  ordered  the  man  to  be  discharged  from 
arrest,  and  was  goin'  to  dismiss  the  case  right  there,  but 
the  stranger  insisted  on  havin'  him  detained  for  the 
money.  The  judge  then  growled  out  at  the  stranger  that 
he  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  gettin'  his  watch  back.  He 
told  the  stranger  that  if  he  persisted  in  that  sort  o'  thing,  he 
would  have  to  send  him  to  the  cells  to  be  kept  as  a  wit 
ness  in  the  case,  while  the  thief  would  go  out  on  bail. 
The  stranger  had  no  friend  near  to  help  him,  and  as  he 
wanted  to  leave  the  city  the  next  mornin',  he  got  out  of 
that  court  in  a  hurry,  you  better  bleve ;  for  if  he'd  said 
another  word,  the  judge  would  ha'  sent  him  below  to  the 
cells  in  a  second,  and  some  one  was  standin'  right  there  to 
go  the  thief's  bail,  and  he'd  ha'  gone  out  about  his  bisness. 
"Sometimes  a  man  as  has  got  friends,  has  got  nabbed 
right  in  the  act  of  liftin'  somethin',  or  gits  taken  inside  of 
a  store  that  he's '  cracked,'  and  they  can't  git  by  sendin'  him 
up  for  a  little  while.  He  employs  the  right. kind  of  a  law 
yer,  who  enters  a  plea  of  '  guilty  of  petty  larceny,'  when 
the  crime  was  most  likely  burglary.  The  plea  is  accepted, 
and  the  court  sentences  him  for  thirty,  sixty  or  ninety 
days.  If  he'd  plead  not  guilty,  and  stood  trial,  he'd  been 
convicted  of  burglary  or  grand  larceny,  and  sent  to  State 
Prison  for  five  or  ten  years.  I'll  tell  you  what  I'm  goin 
to  dp.  I  got  spotted  liftin'  two  costly  pieces  of  goods 
worth  five  hundred  dollars.  I'd  sold  one  piece,  but  a  de- 


"116  THE    LEECH    CLUB  |    OR,    THE 

tective  smoked  me  out,  and  found  the  other  piece  in  my 
possession.  Now  I've  engaged  a  lawyer  to  put  in  a  plea 
of  '  guilty  of  petty  larce*ny,'  and  I  won't  be  sent  up  for 
more'n  thirty  or  sixty  days.  But  you  see  I  made  a  clean 
two  hundred  dollars  out  of  the  piece  I  sold ;  so,  after 
payin'  my  lawyer  a  hundred  dollars,  I'll  have  a  hundred 
left  for  my  month's,  or  at  most  two  months'  quarryin' 
stone ;  which  ain't  so  very  bad  after  all,  seein'  I  know  the 
ropes,  and  won't  have  to  work  very  hard.  When  I  git 
out,  some  one'll  have  to  pay  dear  for  it,  for  in  less  than 
three  days  I'll  have  a  thousand  dollars  for  every  month 
I'm  sent  up. 

"I  say,  pal,  if  you  could  only  git  that  lawyer  of  mine 
to  take  care  of  your  case,  he'd  git  you  clear,  I  warrant. 
But  you  couldn't  git  him  short  of  a  fee  of  fifty  dollars, 
and  you  hain't  got  it.  So  the  only  way,  as  I  tell  you,  is 
to  plead  guilty,  and  not  make  the  judges  mad  by  bother'n 
'em,  and  they'll  give  you  a  light  sentence." 

"  But,"  said  the  countryman,  "  how  can  I  be  sent  to 
the  penitentiary  for  being  drugged  and  robbed  ?  Do  they 
punish  a  man  here  because  a  crime  has  been  committed 
against  him  ?" 

"  Don't  I  tell  you,"  said  the  dry-goods  man,  "  that  they 
won't  trouble  themselves  to  find  out  whether  you've  com 
mitted  a  crime  or  not.  It  is  enough  that  you're  here, 
and  they've  got  to  dispose  of  you  in  some  way.  You 
may  be  in  somebody's  way,  that  wants  to  put  you  aside. 
Some,  of  the  rulers  of  the  city  may  want  to  git  you  out 
of  the  way.  Your  case  is  ten  times  as  bad  as  that  of  a 
man  that  really  has  done  somethin',  but  has  friends  in  the 
city  that  can  control  votes.  I  tell  you,  pal,  votes  here  is 
everything.  Me  and  my  friends  sometimes  help  the  rulers 
to  quite  a  pile  of  votes,  for  we  all  manage  to  vote  a  good 
many  times  on  'lection,  day.  That  is  one  reason  why  I 
always  find  friends  in  the  courts.  But  you're  a  stranger, 
and  have  got  no  friends  nor  no  votes  at  your  back,  and 
the  court  won't  care  a  peg  whether  you've  done  some 
crime  agin  somebody,  or  whether  some  one  has  done  a 
crime  agin  you." 

After  three  days  spent  in  the  loathsome  cell,  where  he 
was  eaten  by  vermin  and  sickened  by  the  stale  and  un 
wholesome  food  of  the  prison,  the  countryman,  with  a 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  117 

gang  of  about  fifty,  was  ushered  into  the  room  of  the 
Grinding  Court.  The  prisoners  were  packed  into  a  box 
in  the  court  room,  thicker  than  even  beasts  for  the 
slaughter  were  crammed  together  in  a  butcher's  pen,  be 
fore  stringent  laws  were  passed  against  cruelty  to  animals. 
The  weather  was  extremely  hot,  and  the  position  in  the 
box  was  fearful.  If  a  sentence  to  the  penitentiary  was 
to  relieve  them  from  this  predicament,  it  would  certainly 
be  welcomed  by  most  of  the  unfortunates. 

Soon  the  wheels  of  the  Grinding  Court  were  started, 
and  the  prisoners  were  put  through  with  the  rapidity  of 
cotton  going  through  a  picker.  Some  who  were  charged 
with  high  crimes,  even  to  "murder,  found  no  one  appear 
ing  against  them,  and  were  dismissed  without  further  in 
quiry.  In  some  respects  it  reminded  one  of  an  auction 
sale — a  mock-auction,  for  instance.  The  name  of  a  pris 
oner  would  be  called,  and.  the  clerk  would  cry  out, 
"  Guilty  or  not  guilty  ?"  The  plea  might  be  "  guilty,"  it 
might  be  "  not  guilty ;"  there  might  be  a  witness  called 
or  not — the  court,  with  the  same  rapid  utterance  as  the 
auctioneer,  who  says,  "  going,  going,  going,  gone !"  enun 
ciated  its  decrees  and  sentences  :  "  Thirty  days !  Sixty 
days'!  Three  months  !  Discharged !  Six  months !  Dis 
charged  !  One  year  !  Discharged !" 

These  decrees  were  enunciated  without  any  apparent 
relevancy  to  the  pleas  of  "  guilty,"  or  "  not  guilty,"  or 
the  charges  preferred  against  the  prisoner,  or  the  evidence 
brought  forward.  It  might,  however,  be  observed  that 
those  who  plead  guilty  at  once,  received  the  lightest  sen 
tences,  and  that  those  who  attempted  any  defense,  fared 
the  worst.  Many  who  admitted  their  guilt,  were  dis 
charged,  while  many  who  felt  assured  in  their  own  con 
sciences  that  they  had  committed  no  act  calling  for  pun 
ishment,  received  severe  sentences.  The  court  appar 
ently  pai(i>little  attention  to  plea  or  evidence,  but  sen 
tenced  according  to  its  whim. 

The  proceedings  of  the  Grinding  Court  soon  thinned 
out  the  crowd  in  the  box,  and  the  few  who  were  left  were 
greatly  relieved  from  the  horrible,  sandwiched  condition. 
We  can  now  take  a  minute  survey  of  those  still  remaining 
to  be  run  through  the  mill.  But  hark  !  W  hat  name  was 


118  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

that  we  heard  ?     It  sounded  familiar.     A  second  time  it 
is  called,  and  we  are  not  mistaken. 

"John  Woodman!" 

Indeed,  John,  how  come  you  in  such  company  as  this  ? 
Why  did  you  leave  your  rustic  home  in  the  Catskills  2 
Why  did  you  abandon  your  honest  toil,  your  frugal  but 
comfortable  living,  to  expose  yourself  to  the  putrid  pit 
falls  of  this  great  moral  cemetery — whose  graves  have 
been  dug  open  by  hyenas,  in  league  with  vultures,  the 
foul  quadruped  and  bird  stalking  together  over  the  great 
charnel  cess-pool,  ready  to  devour  all  who  may  fall  into 
the  pits,  or  be  stricken  down  helpless  by  the  awful  stench 
arising  from  the  festering  carrion  ?  Did  you  think,  John, 
inexperienced,  you  could  walk  among  a  hundred  thousand 
yawning,  greedy  graves,  and  not  find  your  own  sepulchre  ? 
Why  did  you  leave  your  widowed  mother  2  Why  did 
you  leave  Phebe  Greenwood,  who  loved  you  ? 

But  as  we  begin  to  succumb  to  the  fact,  and  fully  ac 
knowledge  to  ourselves  that  it  is,  indeed,  you,  we  recog 
nize  the  same  countryman  who  was  confined  in  the  ceK 
with  the  so-called  "  dry-goods  man,"  and  we  are  answered. 
We  recollect  your  conversation.  You  said  you  were  per- 
sua'de  1  by  a  city  gentleman  staying  in  the  country,  to 
come  to  the  city,  and  accept  a  situation  at  a  good  salary. 
We  see !  You  perhaps  thought  you  could  achieve  a  situa 
tion  that  would  make  you  more  acceptable  to  Phebe 
Greenwood,  or  at  all  events,  to  her  father. 

We  don't  blame  you,  John  ;  your  ambition  was  lauda 
ble.  But  how  disastrously  has  your  scheme  terminated. 
You  will  doubtless  be  shot  from  the  mill  of  this  Grind 
ing  Court  into  the  penitentiary.  And  will  Phebe  Green 
wood  or  her  father  entertain  your  suit  after  such  a 
disgrace  2  Will  you  be  able  to  establish  your  innocence 
to  their  satisfaction  2 

Ah !  a  ray  of  light  flashes  across  our  mental  vision. 
We  think  we  can  discern  the  hand  of  that  refined  exqui 
site,  Mr.  Sindandy,  in  getting  you  to  the  city  and  dis 
gracing  you.  Can  it  be  possible  he  has  done  this  to  get 
you  out  of  the  way,  so  that  his  confrere,  Mr.  Flitaway, 
can  have  a  fair  field  with  Phebe  Greenwood,  who  de 
spises  him  and  his  set ! 

"John  Woodman  !"  was  called  by  the  Grinding  Court. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CAT6KILLS.  119 

"  Guilty,  or  not  guilty  ?" 

"  Of  what  charge  ?"  answered  John. 

He  received  no  light  on  that  subject,  but  a  policeman 
was  put  on  the  stand  as  a  witness,  testifying  to  having 
seen  the  prisoner  taxing,  or  we  might  say,  blackmailing 
a  lamp-post,  to  the  extent  of  making  that  erect,  firm  and 
faithful  dispenser  of  light  to  the  benighted  city,  hold  him 
up,  when  he  was  not  able  to  stand  alone.  The  policeman 
further  testified  to  having  relieved  the  virtuous  lamp-post 
from  the  too  free  embraces  of  the  libertine,  John,  and 
put  the  latter  in  the  station-house.  Thus  all  chaste  lamp 
posts  incurred  a  debt  of  eternal  gratitude  to  the  vigilant 
policeman ;  for  their  purity  was  no  longer  threatened  by 
a  ruthless  debauchee,  who  was  in  a  fair  way  to  be  brought 
to  a  proper  sense  of  his  rakish  propensities.  Hereafter 
let  lamp-posts  understand  that,  though  they  be  left  alone 
through  the  dreary  hours  of  the  night  as  lighthouses 
shining  over  the  sea  of  deviltry,  their  chastity  is  under 
the  care  of  the  Grinding  Court,  which  will  pulverize  into 
dust  the  voluptuary  who  dares  to  approach  these  vestal 
virgins  with  undue  gallantry. 

Having  heard  these  heinous  charges  against  him, 
John  Woodman  was  about  to  address  the  court.  What 
presumption !  To  think  that  immaculate,  infallible  body 
was  going  to  waste  its  precious  time  to  hear  him  defend 
himself !  Had  it  not  just  been  proven  that  he  had  been 
caught  in  the  very  act  of  treating  with  unencouraged, 
and  lewd  gallantry  the  decorous  and  pure  lamp-post  ?  The 
judges  of  the  Grinding  Court  were  members  of  the 
Leech  Club,  and  they  could  enjoy  themselves  much  bet 
ter  in  hieing  away  to  the  country  in  that  hot  weather,  and 
joining  in  the  pastimes  of  their  confreres,  and  helping  to 
spend  the  money  that  flowed  into  the  Leech  Club  coffers 
in  such  a  constant  stream,  that  they  hardly  knew  "what  to 
do  with  the  lucre.  John  had  no  more  than  essayed  to 
address  the  court,  than  one  of  the  judges  simply  ejacu 
lated  : 

"  One  year !" 

A  policeman  tapped  John  on  the  shoulder,  and  mo 
tioned  to  him  to  come  along.  There  was  no  chance  for 
parley.  He  might  better  have  addressed  the  rocks  of  his 
native  Catskills ;  for  those  cold  objects  would  no  more 


120  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

than  have  treated  him  with  silent  indifference,  while  a 
persistent  effort  to  speak  to  the  judges  would  have  added 
to  his  punishment.  He  was  taken  back  to  his  cell,  utterly 
prostrated,  stupefied  with  the  thought  that  he  had  sud 
denly  been  metamorphosed  from  a  respectable  citizen  into 
a  convicted  criminal,  doomed  to  disgraceful  labor  in  the 
quarries  for  a  whole  year.  As  he  sank  down  on  the  hard 
floor  of  his  cell,  he  wept  like  a  child,  exclaiming : 

"  Oh  !  my  God !  What  evil  genius  is  presiding  over 
my  destinies,  that  I  should  have  come  here  to  be  chained 
like  a  dog  in  a  penal  quarry !  Hope,  dreams  of  ambi 
tion,  love,  all  dashed  out,  as  one  snuffs  out  a  candle !" 

He  lay  flat  on  his  back  on  the  cold  stone  floor,  as  one 
dead.  His  fellow  prisoner  added  taunts,  reminding  him 
of  the  advice  he  had  received,  and  telling  him  how  much 
better  he  would  have  fared  if  he  had  only  plead  guilty. 
But  John  heard  him  not. 

The  next  day  John  was  mustered  into  line  with  a 
motley  band  of  convicts,  preparatory  to  being  packed  into 
the  "Black  Maria,"  a  close  vehicle,  which  was  to  convey 
them  to  the  vessel  on  which  they  were  to  be  taken  to 
their  island  prison.  As  John  stepped  upon  the  side 
walk,  a  shudder  came  over  him  as  he  viewed  the  con 
vict  wagon,  in  which  he  must  take  his  seat.  He 
recollected  once  seeing  prisoners  deparffrom  the  county 
jail  for  the  State  Prison,  to  which  they  had  been  sen 
tenced.  He  thought  at  the  time  how  abject  was  their 
condition,  and  how  irretrievable  their  disgrace.  Now  he 
thought  people  looked  on  him  with  similar  feelings. 

Never  were  sheep  for  the  slaughter  packed  in  a 
wagon  with  such  utter  disregard  of  their  feelings,  as 
were  the  prisoners  in  the  "  Black  Maria "  on  that  hot 
day ;  for  the  owner  of  the  animals  would  have  at  least 
had  more  regard  for  his  pocket  than  thus  to  endanger 
their  lives.  And  the  position  of  the  prisoners  on  the 
boat  was  not  at  all  improved.  They  were  crammed  into 
the  hold  of  the  vessel,  with  as  little  regard  to  life  as  if 
they  had  been  bales  of  goods.  It  was-  a  great  wonder 
that  some  had  not  been  smothered  on  the  passage. 

As  John  was  ushered  from  the  boat  upon  the  landing, 
before  the  grim  walls  of  the  merciless  prison,  the  first 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKTLLS.  121 

thing  that   particularly   caught  his  attention  was  an  in 
scription  over  the  door: 

"  The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard !" 

He  tried  to  think  wherein  he  had  been  such  a  great 
transgressor  that  that  passage  should  thus  apparently 
join  with  his  persecutors,  and  stand  up  there  to  accuse 
him.  But  he  was  allowed  no  time  for  reflection.  He 
was  hurried  in,  and  as  the  gloomy  portal  closed  behind, 
he  felt  as  if  the  sepulcher  had  closed  its  marble  jaws  upon 
him,  and  that  he  was  entering  upon  a  future  state  with 
out  a  ray  of  hope  to  light  him  through  eternity.  Soon  • 
the  inexorable  discipline  of  the  prison  coiled  itself 
around  him  like  an  iron  shroud,  that  would  crush  the 
last  gasp  of  hope  from  his  bosom.  His  hair  was  cut 
short,  and  he  had  to  don  the  striped  livery  of  crime. 

But  few  mechanical  trades  were  in  vogue  in  the  prison, 
and  all  who  could  not  work  at  these,  were  •employed  in 
the  quarry.  With  pick  and  crowbar  John  was  soon  delving 
side  by  side  with  convicts.  The  wretched  discipline  of 
the  prison  was  soon  apparent.  The  professional  thieves, 
who  had  been  several  times  in  the  penitentiary,  would 
impose  on  the  uninitiated  right  before  the  eyes  of  the 
keepers,  who  seemed  to  encourage  and  enjoy  the  sport. 
If  an  inexperienced  prisoner  was  possessed  of  any  article 
which  the  old  stagers  took  a  fancy  to,  it  was  not  an  un 
common  thing  for  them  to  seize  and  rob  him  in  presence 
of  the  keepers,  who  would  look  on  and  laugh.  If  the 
pilfered  prisoner  threatened  to  report  the  keeper  to  the 
warden,  the  keeper  would  be  sure  to  get  the  start  of 
him,  by  preferring  some  charge  against  the  persecuted 
convict,  and  having  him  punished  for  an  offense  which 
he  had  not  committed.  Thus  the  new  comers  soon  learned 
to  keep  silence,  no  matter  what  impositions  and  abuse 
might  be  heaped  upon  them. 

And  here  we  must  leave  John  Woodman  for  the  pres 
ent,  to  the  infernal  devices  of  hardened  convicts,  and  not 
less  wicked  keepers ;  to  hard  labor  in  the  fervid  stone- 
quarries  beneath  the  scorching  rays  of  a  summer's  sun, 
with  such  food  to  support  him  under  these  hardships  as  a 
dog  would  turn  away  from  in  disgust ;  and,  worse  than 
all,  to  his  corroding  thoughts,  and  outraged  heart,  which 
never  ceased  to  tell  him  that  the  best  aims  of  a  once 
6 


122  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

hopeful  and  buoyant  life  had  been  blighted,  through  one 
of  the  most  unaccountable  accidents,  and  all  through  no 
apparent  fault  of  his  own.  We  will  leave  him  here,  and 
wait  for  a  day  of  retribution,  when  those  who  planned 
such  a  terrible  wronj*  shall  be  scorched  in  the  fire  which 
they  themselves  kindled,  and  bitten  by  the  vipers  which 
they  nourished,  unconsoled  by  the  reflection  that  they 
suffer  without  having  committed  an  adequate  crime. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

UP     THE     HUDSON. 


ON  a  glorious  summer  afternoon,  one  of  those  splendid 
steamers  aptly  described  as  river  palaces,  plowed  her  way 
up  the  Hudson.  Crowds  of  people  swarmed  upon  her 
decks,  and  languished  upon  settees  and  chairs  in  her  sa 
loons.  There  seemed  absolutely  no  unoccupied  room  on 
the  spacious  steamer.  Chairs  and  camp-stools  covered 
nearly  all  the  available  space  on  her  decks,  and  what  was 
not  thus  occupied  was  appropriated  by  those  who  were 
glad  to  obtain  even  a  standee  where  they  could  snuff  the 
breezes  which  had  gathered  the  fragrance  of  meadow, 
garden,  grove  and  flowery  woodland  ;  the  combined  aroma 
of  the  whole  being  tempered  and  softened  by  the  river 
as  the  zephyrs  kissed  the  waves. 

The  crowd  were  hurrying  away  from  the  great  city  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  they  might  have  regarded 
the  resplendent  steamer  as  a  water-nymph  angel  sent  to 
bear  them  on  her  back,  flying  over  the  foam,  from  Sodom. 
They  had  left  its  crowded  and  stifling  dwellings,  its  blis 
tering  pavements,  its  sun-reflecting  brick  wails,  for  the 
country.  They  had  left  behind  them  ten  times  ten  thou 
sand  miseries,  perhaps  uncared-for,  at  least  unthought-of. 
The  sufferings  of  the  poor  in  a  great  city  are  by  no  means 
confined  to  the  pinching  winter.  Summer  may  bring 
them  work  and  food,  but  it  also  brings  them  in  their 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  123 

pent-up  habitations  the  wasting  miasmas  arising  from 
filth  which  lies  seething  in  the  scorching  sun.  It  brings 
them  a  debilitating  atmosphere  from  the  fiery  furnace  of 
the  streets,  with  their  continuous  surface  of  heat-absorb 
ing  pavements  and  walls  of  buildings,  still  further  viti 
ated  by  circulation  among  the  over-packed  dwellings  of 
the  poor.  Thus,  in  the  great  city,  the  air,  in  its  sluggish 
circulation,  gathers  foulness  from  frequent  breathings, 
and  becomes  pregnant  with  heat,  and  miasma,  and  death. 

The  crowd  on  the  steamer  were  flying  away  from  these 
miseries  as  men  do  from  a  pestilence.  The  sick  and  de 
bilitated  might  languish  in  the  pestiferous  apartments, 
gasping  the  air  which  had  become  almost  as  deadly  as  the 
fumes  of  the  Upas  tree ;  the  prisoner  in  his  cell  might 
place  his  nostrils  at  the  small  port-hole  window,  to  inhale 
as  much  as  possible  of  the  air,  which,  though  so  poor,  is 
given  to  him  most  grudgingly  ;  or  he  might  toil  away  be 
neath  the  torrid  sun  in  the  quarry — the  passengers  on  the 
steamer  had  escaped  the  wrath  that  involved  so  many ; 
they  were  free  to  breathe  the  wholesome  air  of  the  river 
and  the  mountain's,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  they 
should  not  enjoy  themselves.  There  were  undoubtedly 
some  on  that  steamer  who  had  caused  a  portion  of  the 
miseries  herein  mentioned,  but  to  all  outward  appearances 
their  consciences  did  not  trouble  them,  and  they  Enjoyed 
the  bracing  atmosphere  as  if  they  were  ministering  angels 
instead  of  instruments  of  evil.  There  were  doubtless 
those  on  the  boat  who  had  ground  the  poor,  and  left  them 
to  stifle  in  the  crammed,  unventilated  tenement  houses  of 
the  day.  There  were  quite  probably  merchants  who  had 
wrested  from  the  niggardly-requited  toil  of  sewing-girls 
and  widows  the  means  by  which  they  were  able  to  sport 
at  watering  places,  while  their  wretchedly-paid  employes 
were  left  to  swelter  in  the  miasma  of  the  city.  There 
were  those  on  board  who  had  conspired  to  send  the  inno 
cent  to  prison  and  penal  servitude,  while  they  themselves 
reveled  in  freedom,  and  desecrated  and  poisoned  the  free 
air  of  heaven  by  breathing  it  into  their  false  bosoms. 

.As  the  steamer  bore  the  crowd  swiftly  along,  the  city 
from  which  they  hurried  presented  a  magnificent  pano 
rama.  Spires  arising  from  the  wilderness  of  houses ; 
massive  domes  capping  lofty  structures  ;  here  and  there 


124  THE   LEECH   CLUB  ;    OK,   THE 

a  street  with  a  splendid  row  of  buildings,  which,  in  the 
distance,  appeared  like  one  great  ediiice  set  off  by  a  row 
of  symmetrical  columns ;  a  sea  of  roofs  gilded  and 
shaded  into  many  colors  by  the  brilliant  sun — altogether 
rendered  the  scene  one  of  vastness  and  grandeur.  And 
the  effect  was  heightened  by  the  numerous  sails  which 
whitened  the  harbor,  and  the  ships  with  sails  furled 
lining  the  wharves.  The  steamer  herself  seemed  like  a 
thing  of  life  as  she  intelligently  kept  on  her  course 
among  the  numerous  craft — ships,  sloops,  schooners, 
tugs—  now  passing  almost  under  the  forefoot  of  a  majes 
tic  vessel  under  a  full  spread  of  canvas  ;  now  veering  a 
little  to  go  astern  of  some  floating  leviathan  which  was 
too  near  to  warrant  her  sailing  across  her  bow ;  now 
passing  a  vessel  so  near  that  you  might  almost  spring 
from  one  to  the  other. 

Finally  the  city  grows  thin,  and  the  steamer  is  getting 
up  where  crowded  and  busy  streets  give  place  to  quiet 
villas,  and  beautiful  country  residences.  Instead  of  a 
space  covered  with  stone,  brick  and  mortar,  tall  spires, 
huge  domes,  grand  colonnades,  and  an  endless  sea  of 
roofs,  we  have  the  graceful  rural  architecture,  set  off  by 
enchanting  groves  of  trees,  green  and  closely  shaven 
lawns,  terrace  rising  above  terrace  instead  of  the  paved 
street — by  this  means  the  dwellings  standing  farther 
back  from  the  river  obtaining  as  fine  a  view  as  those  in 
front.  In  many  places,  even  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  the  city,  the  primeval  forest  crowns  the  river  bluffs, 
and  among  these  the  villas  are  built.  A  recent  shower 
had  cleaned  the  foliage  of  the  trees  and  the  lawns  of  all 
accumulations  of  dust,  giving  to  everything  a  fresh  ap 
pearance.  Thus  the  grass  and  the  foliage  presented  a 
soft  green,  which  contrasted  with  the  neat  and  often 
grand  edifices  and  the  water,  in  the  most  fascinating 
manner. 

Some  who  have  traveled  in  Europe  have  objected  to 
the  scenery  of  the  Hudson  that  it  has  no  ruins  to  add 
venerableness  and  picturesqueness  to  its  banks.  Many 
think  that  a  few  ruined  towers,  and  monasteries,  and 
castles  with  crumbling  walls  and  donjon-keeps,  would 
greatly  improve  its  scenery.  But  people  who  take  this 
view  have  not  a  proper  eye  to  the  fitness  of  things. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILL8.  125 

America  is  the  outcropping  of  the  spirit  of  liberty  in 
Europe  which  repudiated  the  barbarous  system  of  feu 
dalism  that  made  castles  and  donjon-keeps  necessary. 
Our  scenery  is  the  scenery  of  the  new  polity,  and  has 
nothing  in  it  to  represent  the,  dark  ages  in  which  the  furi 
ous,  arrogant,  feudal  lords  imprisoned  or  put  to  the  rack, 
within  their  domestic  fortresses,  the  peasant  who  dared 
to  question  their  right  to  his  services  in  war  or  peace. 
It  is  an  abnormal  state  of  society  which  ruined  towers 
and  castles  represent  ;  and  such  may  be  proper  accom 
paniments  of  the  scenery  in  countries  where  the  system 
of  which  they  were  a  part,  wTas  in  vogue  for  ages.  But 
in  this  country  they  would  be  an  excrescence;  for  they 
can  only  .be  interesting  in  connection  with  a  history ; 
and  there  is  nothing  in  our  history  to  warrant  their  ex 
istence,  and  we  are  glad  of  it.  The  dark  cruelties  and 
tyranny  which  underlie  the  foundations  of  European  ruins 
find  no  place  in  our  history.  The  oppressive  aristocracy 
built  the  now  crumbling  castles  of  the  old  world,  and 
drove  those  on  whom  the  light  of  liberty  dawned,  to  the 
new.  They  came  here  to  enjoy  in  their  own  day  and 
generation  a  measure  of  human  rights,  which  the  agita 
tion  of  centuries  could  only  establish  in  Europe.  Amer 
ica  is  the  place  wrhere  men  first  emerged  from  the  barbar 
ism  of  old,  and  its  scenery  should  be  in  keeping  with  the 
new  idea  of  progress.  A  beautiful  scene  appeals  to  the 
mind  as  well  as  to  the  eye,  and  we  want  no  object  incon 
gruous  with  our  history.  We  want  nothing  but  the 
thrifty  works  of  .progressive  men,  and  the  unique  works 
of  the  God  of  Nature  and  of  Liberty — the  sturdy  wood 
land,  the  green  grove,  glade,  meadow  and  hillside,  the 
rugged  mountain  studded  with  rocks  as  eternal  as  the 
principles  of  the  rights  of  man.  If,  under  our  system,  a 
sordid  clique  of  men,  for  a  time,  get  control,  and  wrong 
individuals  and  the  public,  the  quickly  returning  tide  of 
the  ballot  soon  brings  its  revenges  and  reliefs.  They 
cannot  permanently  fasten  an  unjust  system  upon  the 
country,  as  did  the  feudal  lords  of  Europe. 

The  vigorous  craft  steamed  on  up  the  Hudson,  soon 
leaving  all  vestiges  of  the  city  behind.  As  the  last  of  the 
great  living  metropolis  is  left  in  her  wake,  there  arises  on 
the  opposite  shore  a  remarkable  formation,  so  regular 


126  THE    LEECH    CLUB ;    OR,    THE 

that  a  stranger,  in  twilight,  might  take  it  for  the  wall  of 
some  ancient  city  long  since  fallen  to  decay.  The  Pali 
sades  might,  with  a  very  little  stretch  of  the  imagination, 
be  taken  for  the  wall  of  a  pre-Adamite  city,  whose  inhab 
itants  had  as  great  a  penchant  for  fortification  as  the 
Chinese. 

The  steamer  bore  her  exuberant  freight  swiftly  over 
the  sparkling  water,  now  stirred  into  foaming,  crested 
waves  by  a  stiff  breeze.  Bright  villages,  charming  coun 
try  residences,  wooded  bluffs,  jutting  points  of  land, 
fringed  with  foliage  and  graced  by  fine  dwellings,  were 
passed  by  the  gallant  boat  as  a  comet  rushes  through  a 
field  of  stars.  It  is  doubted  if  any  stream  on  earth  ex 
ceeds  in  varied  beauties — sometimes  approaching  grand 
eur — the  majestic  Hudson.  Finally  the  river  appears  to 
the  passenger  on  the  boat  to  be  entirely  shut  off  ahead  by 
mountains.  We  are  approaching  the  Highlands. 

As  the  steamer  draws  nearer  to  what  appeared  to  be 
the  limit  of  the  expansive  water,  the  river  is  seen  to  wend 
its  tortuous  way  through  the  mountains.  We  are  now 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  picturesque  of  the  far-famed 
scenery  of  the  Hudson.  The  mountains  are  not  lofty  as 
compared  with  the  noted  ranges  of  the  globe ;  but  their 
rugged  abruptness,  rising  from  the  water  of  the  winding 
river,  in  a  hundred  remarkable  and  indescribable  shapes, 
render  them  unique  almost  beyond  comparison.  Some 
times  a  massive  mound  arises  in  a  well  defined  cone  or 
pyramid.  Sometimes  a  mountain  arises  from  the  very 
bed  of  the  river,  with  an  abruptness  that  would  appar 
ently  enable  a  person  to  jump  from  its  top  a  thousand 
feet  or  more  and  alight  in  the  water.  Rugged  promon 
tories  jut  into  the  river,  and  bays  and  coves  are  thus 
formed  within  mountain  gorges.  Looking  back  from 
the  river  into  the  mountain  recesses,  wild  ravines,  frown 
ing  in  shade  or  laughing  in  sunshine,  are  seen  traversing 
the  solitudes  in  every  direction. 

What  renders  the  scene  most  charming  is  the  green 
foliage  which  covers  the  most  rugged  mountain  sides. 
Even  on  the  most  precipitous  steeps,  which  apparently 
consist  of  little  but  rock,  the  shrubbery  finds  sticking 
places,  and  takes  root,  clothing  the  rocky  battlement  with 
green  in  summer.  The  heavens  were  partially  obscured 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  127 

with  clouds,  but  occasionally  the  sun  would  break  through, 
pouring  down  here  and  there  a  stream  of  golden  light  on 
the  soft  green  of  the  rugged  mountains.  While  some 
ravines  and  gorges  which  were  favored  with  these  occa 
sional  gleams  of  sunshine  seemed  to  acknowledge  their 
appreciation  of  the  boon  by  a  rugged  smile,  others  in 
which  Sol  had  not  showered  down  his  beneficent  rays, 
looked  savage,  as  if  growling  because  they  had  not  also 
received  a  mouthful  of  radiance. 

Onward  bowled  the  steamer,  sometimes  approaching  so 
near  the  rocky  cliffs  that  one  might  almost  jump  ashore 
from  h«r  decks ;  then  tearing  away  into  the  middle  of 
the  stream,  the  swells  from  her  wake  rushing  in  noisy 
breakers  upon  the  rock-walled  beach.  Sometimes  the 
vessel  would  be  aiming  under  a  full  head  of  steam  toward 
the  precipitous  shore,  there  seeming  literally"  to  be  no 
farther  egress  by  water,  as  if  she  were  going  directly 
upon  the  rocks  in  despair  of  finding  an  outlet.  Her  bow 
would  approach  within  a  few  lengths  of  the  bold  pro 
montory,  when  she  would  sheer  easily  and  gracefully 
around,  revealing  to  the  passengers  the  opening  through 
the  mountains  where  the  river  finds  its  course.  Every 
mile  reveals  some  novelty  in  the  river  and  mountain 
scenery. 

The  noble  stream,  though  pent  in  by  the  inexorable 
granite  walls,  is  seldom  much  less  than  half  a  mile  wide, 
and  the  manner  in  which  the  water  has  pierced  every 
vulnerable  point,  and  formed  a  diversity  of  bays  and 
coves,  into  which  the  swells  dash  with  mad  violence  upon 
the  rocky  shore,  suggests  the  idea  that  the  river  waged  a 
gallant  fight  with  the  stubborn  mountains  when  it  first 
broke  its  way  through  their  opposing  forces,  long  ages 
ago ;  when,  perhaps,  the  rocks  were  softer  and  more  yield 
ing  than  now.  All  the  efforts  of  the  Hudson  now  to 
widen  its  channel  through  the  Highlands  are  unavailing. 
It  may  send  its  breakers  tearing  like  a  mighty  volley  from 
the  water-sprite  artillery  upon  the  shore.  It  makes  no 
more  impression  than  preaching  does  upon  the  hard 
hearts  of  stock-gamblers  in  Wall  street.  The  stony  cliffs 
look  down  upon  the  lapping  waters,  which  vainly  try  to 
sap  their  foundations,  with  as  perfect  indifference  as  a 
broker  who  had  stolen  a  railroad  would  upon  a  little  Sun- 


128  THE   LEECH   CLUB ;   OK,   THE 

day  School  boy  who  might  essay  to  deter  him  from  the 
theft  by  holding  up  before  him  the  catechism  and  point 
ing  to  the  eighth  commandment.  As  the  broker  would 
tell  the  lad  that  such  things  were  intended  for  effect  be 
fore  hearts  were  hardened,  so  the  cliff,  in  effect,  says  to 
the  river  that  it  should  have  exerted  its  force  to  the  ut 
most  while  the  rocks  were  soft. 

Occasionally  a  little  clearing  is  seen  between  the  abrupt 
mountain  and  the  river,  but  little  larger  than  the  dwelling 
which  has  been  erected  upon  it.  The  persons  who  have 
located  upon  such  pent-up  limits  can  be  conceived  to  have 
done  so  for -no  other  purpose  than  to  make  voy%ers  on 
the  river  wonder  how  they  find  a  living  among  the  rocks. 
In  a  few  instances  the  clearings  expand  into  several  acres, 
green  as  a  paradise.  Generally,  however,  the  Highlands, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  small  villages,  present  an  ap 
pearance  as  wild  as  when  the  enterprising  navigator  who 
gave  his  name  to  the  stream,  iirst  sailed  up  the  river. 

The  steamer  passes  the  historical  ground  of  West 
Point,  where,  besides  the  splendid  structures  of  art,  is 
seen  the  only  ruin  of  note  along  the  Hudson — old  Fort 
Putnam,  t>f  Revolutionary  fame,  on  a  high  rocky  ridge, 
some  distance  back  from  the  river.  Its  walls  are  in  a 
fair  state  of  preservation,  and  many  of  its  casemates  are 
still  standing.  Soon  the  steamer  draws  near  to  the 
northern  gate  of  the  Highlands,  with  its  lofty  pillars  on 
either  side.  The  vessel  passes  close  to  the  massive  pillar 
of  rock  on  the  west  side.  Shooting  past  this,  the  moun 
tains  are  seen  to  break  suddenly  away  on  the  west,  and 
slowly  but  unmistakably  on  the  east,  and  an  open  and 
fertile  country  is  revealed.  Besieging  civilization  has 
pushed  its  conquests  close  up  to  the  gate  of  the  wild  High 
lands,  and  its  cottages,  and  summer  resorts  under  the 
very  shadow  of  the  pillars.  As  the  vessel  steams  up  the 
now  broad  stream,  which  expands  into  a  beautiful  bay, 
the  city  of  the  hill  is  seen  on  the  west,  and  a  continuous 
village  on  the  east.  No  more  lofty  mountains  are  seen 
till  the  Catskills  loom  up  toward  the  clouds.  But  the 
scenery  all  the  way  is,  nevertheless,  delightful.  Alter 
nately,  wooded  .-bluffs,  thriving  towns,  cozy  villas,  splen 
did  country  seats,  line  the  shore ;  while  green  fields,  and 
ridges,  intermingled  with  woodland,  spread  away  in  the 
distance. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  129 

Hitherto,  we  have  paid  little  attention  to  the  individ 
uality  of  the  passengers  on  the  vessel.  Many  of  them 
had  already  landed  at  the  various  places  where  the 
steamer  had  touched,  and  dispersed  among  the  rural  re 
treats  whither  they  were  bound.  The  crowd  is  now  so 
much  thinned  out  that  we  are  able  to  distinguish  some 
old  acquaintances.  A  group  is  gathered  on  the  upper 
deck,  seated  on  stools,  and  conversing  quite  earnestly. 
We  hear  the  unmistakable,  mincing  tones  of  Mr.  Sindan- 
dy,  the  pompous  style  of  Mr.  Swellup,  the  rich  German- 
English  of  Mr.  Swillager,  the  lofty,  dignified  conversa 
tion  of  Mrs.  Grandola,  the  exquisite  verbiage  of  Miss 
Gossamer.  These  excellent  people  had  doubtless  been 
to  the  city  for  a_  short  season,  and  were  returning  to 
their  castle  in  the  Catskills.  There  was  a  young  woman, 
evidently  belonging  to  the  party,  but  not  so  flashily 
dressed,  sitting  somewhat  apart  from  the  others.  Then 
there  was  Mary  Shoeman  in  closa  communion  with  the 
party.  While  she  had  not  yet  acquired  the  volubility  of 
her  new  acquaintances,  she  had  made  some  progress  in 
adopting  their  gorgeous  style  of  dress.  She  was  an  at 
tentive  listener  to  the  charming  chat  of  Mr.  feindandy. 
He  had  so  far  advanced  in  his  suit,  as  to  call  Miss  Shoe- 
man  by  her  first  name. 

"  Have  you  hea'd,  Mary,"  said  he,  "  how  badly  one  of 
youah  old  neighbo's  has  turned  out  ?" 

"No!  Who?" 

"  John  Woodman." 

Why,  what  has  he  been  doing  !" 

"  He  went  to  the  city,  committed  some  crime ;  and  has 
been  sent  to  the  penitentiary."  « 

"  Why,  did  I  ever !     Well,  I  told  Phebe  Greenwood 

that  she  would  disgrace  herself  by  keeping  company  with 

'him,  and  that  I  couldn't  see   how  she  could  do  it  when 

such  a  fine  fellow  as  Mr.  Flitaway  was  disposed  to  be  so 

attentive  to  her." 

"  You  are  right,  Mary.  I  nevah  could  see  why  a  young 
lady  of  Miss  Greenwood's  prospects  could  throw  herself 
away  on  such  a  booah,  when  fo'tune  threw  her  equals  in 
her  way.  I  hope  now  she  will  see  her  Nerrah,  and  look 
upon  Mistah  Flitaway  with  moah  favah." 

"  I  don't  doubt  but  she  will,"  said  Mary.     "  I  shall  go 
6* 


130  THE   LEECH   CLUB ;   OR,    THE 

and  tell  her  about  this  just  as  quick  as  I  get  home. 
She  thought  John  was  going  to  the  city  to  make  his  for 
tune.  She  had  the  presumption  to  tell  me  that  some  day 
John  would  stand  far  above  my — I  mean — why — she  said 
some  day  John  would  stand  far  above  even  you,  Mr.  Sin- 
dandy.  I  guess  she'll  change  here  tune  now." 

The  party  continued  to  discuss  the  demerits  of  John 
Woodman,  indulging  in  reflections  by  no  means  compli 
mentary  to  that  unfortunate  person,  till  the  steamer  landed 
at  the  point  where  they  were  to  disembark.  Remaining 
over  night  at  a  hotel  near  the  landing,  the  next  morning 
they  disappeared  among  the  Catskills. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HORACE  LACKFATHE  MEETS  AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE. 


SEVERAL  vehicles,  constructed  especially  for  traveling 
over  the  rude  mountain  roads,  affording  as  much  comfort 
as  possible  to  the  occupants,  arrived  at  the  castle  of  the 
Leech  Club  late  in  the  afternoon  following  the  day  on 
which  the  party  mentioned  were  observed  on  the  steamer 
sailing  up  the  Hudson.  They  were  the  same  individuals 
who  composed  the  party  referred  to.  Horace  Lackf athe, 
with  some  other  inmates  of  the  castle,  went  out  to  meet 
the  new-comers.  He  gave  his  hand  to  assist  from  one  of 
the  vehicles  the  young  lady  mentioned  as  having  had  lit 
tle  fellowship  with  the  party  on  the  boat.  As  she  alighted 
upon  the  ground,  and  their  eyes  happened  to  meet,-  both 
stood  as  if  confounded. 

"  Charity  Faithful !"  said  Horace,  in  a  low  tone,  which 
was  nevertheless  as  earnestly  emphatic  as  if  it  had  been 
thundered  from  the  clouds. 

"  Horace  Lackfathe  !"  replied  the  lady  in  similar  sup 
pressed  tones  of  astonishment.  "  Had  you  come  forth 
from  an  opening  in  the  rocks,  I  could  not  have  met  with 
a  greater  surprise !" 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure  but  I  have  come  here  thus,"  said 
Horace. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  131 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  said  the  lady,  in  a  low  voice 
full  of  anxiety.  "  Pray,  do  explain  !  Are  all  the  strange 
and  vague  stories  I  hear  about  this  place  true  ?  But  it  is 
a  comfort  to  find  you  here,  Horace.  I  know  you  would 
not  be  among  these  people  if  they  were  what  some  re 
ports  charge  them  with  being.  But  do  tell  me  how  it  is, 
Horace !" 

"  It  is  too  long  a  story  to  tell  you  now,"  said  Horace. 
"  Our  conversation  is  already  attracting  attention.  Wait 
till  a  more  favorable  opportunity." 

Horace  affectionately  pressed  the  hand  of  the  lady, 
when  no  one  was  looking,  and  left  her,  as  if  he  were  not 
an  acquaintance,  but  had  only  been  rendering  her  neces 
sary  assistance.  The  party  retired  within  the  castle. 

The  meeting  of  this  young  woman,  toward  whom  Hor 
ace  cherished  a  warmer  feeling  than  mere  friendship,  was 
another  incident  in  the  chain  of  wonders  that  he  had  en-, 
countered  in  this  strange  locality.  What  had  brought 
her  here,  it  was  needless  for  him  to  conjecture,  and  after 
the  severe  discipline  that  he  had  received  in  prying  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  Catskills,  he  found  no  great  diffi 
culty  in  suppressing  a  nervous  curiosity  until  he  could 
learn  from  the  lips  of  the  young  woman  herself  the  cause 
of  her  coming  here.  And  it  tnay  naturally  be  inferred 
that  the  lady  was  equally  puzzled  at  meeting  Horace  in 
the  mountains.  They  had  not  met  before  in  a  long  time, 
but  little  missives  had  occasionally  passed  between  them, 
and  she,  with  the  faith  of  a  true  woman,  had  never 
doubted  Horace's  constancy. 

They  met .  at  the  table,  but  it  was  as  strangers.  Dur 
ing  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  after  her  arrival,  they 
planned  a  meeting  in  an  arbor  near  the  lake.  The  in 
mates  of  the  castle  were  enjoying  their  siestas,  and  they 
were  not  disturbed  in  their  interview.  * 

"  My  dear  Charity !"  was  the  first  exclamation  from 
Horace,  as  his  arm  drew  her  close  to  him.  After  the  first 
raptures  and  congratulations  of  their  meeting  were  over, 
she  said : 

"  Now  tell  me,  how  came  you  here,  Horace  ?  Are  you 
a  member  of  that  singular  organization  called  the  Leech 
Club?" 

"What  do  you  take  me  for,  Charity?    Do  you  know 


132  THE  LEECH   OLTTB ;   OK,    THE 

that  that  question  is  equivalent  to  asking  me  if  I  am  a 
thief  and  a  plunderer  ?" 

"  Oh  !  good  gracious,  Horace,  do  you  mean  to  say  that 
we  are  in  a  den  of  robbers  ?  But  that  cannot  be,  for,  al 
though  this  is  a  wild  solitary  place,  there  seems  to  be  no 
effort  at  concealment;  and  if  there  was,  the  authorities 
would  soon  find  it  out." 

"  I  don't  mean  that  the  Leech  Club  are  exactly  the 
kind  of v  robbers  you  refer  to.  They  are  public  robbers, 
who  plunder  by  virtue  of  owning  the  law  and  the  courts." 

"  I  see  what  you  mean,  and  I  have  heard  such  things 
before  ;  but  I  had  hoped  for  the  sake  of  my  poor  mother 
that  such  reports  were  nothing  but  scandal,  as  my  step 
father,  Mr.  Swellup,  says  they  are." 

"  He  your  step-father !"  said  Horace,  looking  greatly 
grieved. 

"  Yes,  but  you  don't  blame  me  for  it,  Horace  ?  I  cer 
tainly  had  nothing  to  do  with  bringing  it  about." 

"No, no,  dear  Charity,"  said  Horace, evidently  ashamed 
that  he  had  given  her  reason  to  surmise  that  he  might 
think  less  of  her  on  account  of  any  accidental  connec 
tions.  "  I  only  was  thinking  that  you  were  too  good  to 
be  so  related." 

"  But,  indeed,  Horace,  'da  you  believe  these  stories  that 
some  tell  about  the  dishonesty  of  the  Leech  Club  ?" 

"  Believe  them,  Charity  !  AVhy  there's  not  a  day  passes 
but  I  hear  a  statement  of  them  from  their  own  mouths. 
They  speak  of  their  rascally  performances  as  naturally 
and  shamelessly  as  you  or  I  would  of  the  most  praise 
worthy  acts  in  the  world." 

"  Well,  Horace,  since  you  speak  of  it,  I  have  frequently 
heard  Mr.  Sindandy,  and  even  my  step-father  Swellup, 
talk  of  their  methods  of  conducting  business,  especially 
political  matters,  which  I  have  often  told  my  mother  were 
nothing  less  than  infamous.  But  she,  poor  soul,  seemed 
so  worried  by  it  that  I  never  felt  like  pursuing  the  sub 
ject  far.  She  would  tell  me  that  I  did  not  understand 
politics,  and  that  I  must  be  mistaken  about  the  immoral 
ity  of  their  practices,  and  so  the  subject  would  drop." 

"  Yes,  Charity,  that  is  their  mode  of  operating.  They 
are  trying  to  debauch  the  public  mind  into  the  belief  that 
there  is  no  difference  between  right  and  wrong." 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  133 

"  But,  Horace,  you  have  not  yet  told  me  how  you  came 
to  be  domiciled  among  these  people,  whom  you  seem  to 
hold  in  such  great  abhorrence." 

Horace  here  related  to  her  the  circumstance  of  his  ac 
cidental  visit  to  the  castle  of  the  Leech  Club,  and  his 
wonderful  experience  during  his  brief  residence  there.  As 
he  proceeded,  she  became  stupefied  with  wonder,  and 
fairly  shrieked  as  he  related  some  of  the  most  remarkable 
passages,  clinging  to  him  as  if  she  feared  the  goblins  of 
the  mountains  would  make  a  sudden  raid  upon  them, 
and  carry  them  off  to  be  immured  in  their  dismal  prison- 
cave.  After  Horace  concluded  the  relation,  both  remained 
silent  for  some  time,  till  Charity  had  somewhat  recovered 
from  the  terror  with  which  the  story  had  inspired  her. 

"  Truly,  Horace,"  said  she,  "  I  never  even  read  any 
thing  half  so  terrible  as  what  you  have  just  told  me — not 
even  in  the  most  exciting  story  books  that  I  ever  saw." 

After  pausing  a  little  while,  she  made  several  attempts 
to  continue,  but  each  time  failed  to  utter  more  than  a 
word  or  two.  Finally,  after  a  great  effort,  she  said : 

"  Horace,  I  have  something  to  say  that  I  must  say  now. 
I  have  from  the  first  of  our  acquaintance  practiced  a 
little  deception  on  you,  which  I  cannot  let  remain  any 
longer  unexplained.  I  hope,  Horace,  after  I  have  told 
you,  that  you  will  not  think  it  was  very  wrong." 

Horace  looked  surprised,  but  replied  that  he  did  not 
consider  her  capable  of  doing  anything  really  sinful.  She 
continued  : 

"  When  we  first  became  acquainted  in  the  village  where 
you  resided,  it  was  commonly  understood  that  I  was  a 
school  teacher  who  came  there  to  spend  the  summer  va 
cation.  The  deception  lies  in  this,  Horace,  that  I  was 
not  the  penniless  girl  that  I  was  represented  to  be.  I 
wish  I  was,  for  then  I  would  not  have  been  driven  to  the 
subterfuge  of  seeking  friends  who  might  respect  me  for 
myself,  instead  of  fawning  on  me  for  my  expectant 
wealth.  The  deception  succeeded,  for  I  found  worthy 
people  who  treated  the  reputed  poor  school  teacher  with 
all  kindness  and  courtesy.  You  know  the  rest,  Horace. 
But  I  owe  it  to  myself  to  say  that  my  expectant  wealth, 
or  the  property  of  my  mother,  was  not  derived  from  any 
one  connected  with  the  Leech  Club.  It  is  inherited  from 


134:  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J    OR,    THE 

people  who  made  it  honestly.  Some  years  ago,  my 
mother  was  deceived  into  contracting  a  marriage  with  Mr. 
Swellup.  Too  late  she  discovered  his  true  character,  and 
happiness  is  a  stranger  to  her  bosom.  If  you  have  ob 
served  about  this  establishment  a  sad  looking  lady,  not 
loaded  with  ridiculous  finery  like  the  rest  of  them,  you 
have  seen  my  mother.  Now  I  have  told  you  my  story. 
I  hope  you  will  forgive  me,  Horace,  for  the  deception. 

Horace  was  grieved,  but  knowing  how  utterly  friend 
less  Charity  must  feel  among  these  people,  he  concealed 
his  chagrin,  kindly  forbearing  to  add  to  her  troubles  by 
showing  by  look  or  word  that  he  felt  a  pang  because  his 
betrothed  wras  in  different  circumstances  than  he,  in  re- 

fard  to  property.  This  was  not,  he  thought,  the  Charity 
aithf  ul  whom  he  had  loved.  His  Charity  was  poor  like 
himself,  while  this  one  was  rich.  However,  with  an  ef 
fort,  he  said  in  tones  which  seemed  to  be  natural : 

"  Forgive  you,  indeed,  Charity  !  I  ought  to  love  you 
the  more  for  abandoning  the  consideration  your  wrealth 
might  have  brought  you,  and  accepting  the  attentions  of 
one  wTho  can  give  you  only  his  hand  and  a  poor,  doubting, 
lacerated  heart." 

"  Oh  !  I  am  so  thankful,  Horace,  that  you  do  not  up 
braid  me  for  deceiving  you.  My  step-father  is  constantly 
persecuting  me  because  I  will  not  encourage  the  atten 
tions  of  some  of  the  soulless  fops  who  follow  in  his  train  ; 
and  had  I  received  an  unkind  word  from  you,  Horace,  on 
account  of  that  little  deception,  it  would  have  driven  me 
to  distraction." 

"  I  would  deserve  to  be  ranked  with  the  Leech  Club, 
were  I  capable  of  saying  aught  unkind  to  one  so  true." 

It  was  now  time  for  their  interview  to  be  brought  to 
a  close,  for  they  were  both  anxious  that  their  intimacy 
should  not  be  discovered.  Horace  gave  Charity  a  part 
ing  kiss,  and  she  returned  to  the  castle,  while  he  wan 
dered  about  the  grounds,  to  collect  and  analyze  his 
thoughts.  It  was  not  many  minutes  before  he  met  Mr. 
Graphic,  and  Horace  broke  forth  in  a  transport  of  agony : 

"Oh!  my  friend,  everything  seems  to  conspire  to 
make  me  miserable !  I  have  just  met  in  the  most  unac 
countable  manner  the  one  whom  I  have  long  looked 
upon  as  destined  to  hold  toward  me  the  dearest  rela- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  135 

tion  on  earth.  She  came  with  those  who  returned  from 
the  city  last  night.  And  what  new  development  of  the 
infernal  conspiracy  that  I  have  run  into  in  these  moun 
tains,  while  trying  to  escape  for  a  season  from  the  pres 
ence  of  such  things — what  new  development  of  this 
conspiracy  to  confound  me  and  increase  my  doubts  of 
the  truth  of  anything,  do  you  think  I  have  discovered  ! 
Why,  I  have  just  found  out  that  the  one  I  love  is  con 
nected  with  these  vultures." 

"  This  is,  indeed,  a  strange  affair,"  said  Mr.  Graphic. 
"  But  how  could  you  be  so  much  deceived  in  the  lady  as 
not  to  discover  on  your  first  acquaintance  that  she  be 
longed  to  a  low-bred  circle  of  bogus  aristocrats  ?" 

"  Ah  !  I  see  I  have  been  too  hasty  in  giving  you  an 
idea  that  she  is  actually  of  the  ilk  of  these  people.  This 
is  not  so.  She  has  been  brought  up  as  chastely  and 
purely  as  any  in-  the  land.  But  she  is  unfortunately 
connected  with  them  by  marriage.  Her  mother  is  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Swellup,  and  that  unprincipled  snob  is  con 
sequently  her  step-father."  Horace  here  related  to  his 
friend  the  circumstances  from  the  beginning. 

"  While  this  is  certainly  most  remarkable,"  said  Mr. 
Graphic,  "  I  do  not  see  how  the  lady  whom  you  regard  is 
in  the  least  censurable  in  the  matter.  Is^or  can  I  see  how 
your  faith  in  her  should  be  at  all  shaken.  On  the  con 
trary,  I  should  think  your  confidence  in  her  should  be 
infinitely  greater,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  she  at  first  pre 
ferred  you,  who  were  poor,  to  those  who  were  rich,  but 
did  not  come  up  to  her  standard  of  morality  ;  and  that 
she  still  continues  to  do  so  while  persecuted  by  her  new 
connections  because  she  will  not  receive  the  attentions 
of  their  kind." 

"  Oh  !  I  did  not  mean  to  say  that  she  was  to  blame. 
The  unfortunate  circumstances  are  purely  accidental ; 
but  the  bitter  fact  still  remains  that  she  is  connected 
with  this  clique  of  thieves.  If  they  have  not  already  cor 
rupted  her,  there  is  reason  to  think  they  will  in  time. 
Her  mother  is  the  wife  of  the  very  chief  of  these  plun 
derers,  Mr.  Swellup.  It  will  not  be  strange  if  the 
mother  should  finally  fall  into  the  habit  of  thinking 
that  the  every-day  practices  of  her  husband  and  his 
friends  must  be  right.  That  the  mother  will  have  great 


136  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

influence  with  her  daughter,  who  can  doubt  ?  How  can 
I  have  any  faith  in  any  one  who  must,  from  the  very 
nature  of  things,  be  brought  under  the  influence  of  the 
Leech  Club  ?" 

"  Alas !  Horace,  you  have  become  so  accustomed  to 
doubting  everything  that  you  will  make  out  a  case  of 
doubt  where  the  majority  of  men  would  think  they  had 
the  best  proof  in  the  world  of  plain  truthfulness." 

"The  trouble  is,"  replied  Horace,  "that  everything 
has  become  so  false  and  corrupt  that  tl\e  majority  of 
men  are  obliged  to  accept  as  probably  truthful,  things 
which  have  a  much  greater  appearance  of  equivocation 
than  unimpaired  veracity  about  them  ;  otherwise  they 
would  have  nothing  but  universally  admitted  falsehood 
to  deal  with.  It  may  be  better,  like  the  bee,  to  extract 
what  little  honey  of  truth  there  may  be  in  the  immense 
herbage  of  falsehood.  But  I  have  been  pursuing  flowers 
that  were  tempting  to  the  eye,  and  which  appeared  to 
be  pregnant  with  nothing  but  honey,  when,  as  I  touched 
them  to  cull  their  seemingly  dainty  sweets,  instead  of 
yielding  me  a  mellifluous  treasure,  they  proved  to  be 
dripping  with  gall.  If  there  is  any  property  now  in 
the  rank  growth  of  Dead  Sea  blossoms  worth  carrying  to 
the  hive,  it  unfortunately  does  not  stick  to  my  poor 
wings,  and  I  fly  from  one  unproductive  field  only  to 
alight  in  another." 

"The  difficulty  seems  to  be,"  said  the  other,  "that 
you  have  formed  in  your  own  mind  a  certain  standard  of 
excellence,  and  all  which  does  not  come  up  to  that,  you 
discard  as  utterly  worthless,  and  declare,  in  effect,  that 
you  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Now  just  see 
what  such  a  rule  of  action  leads  to.  You  are  placed 
here  in  the  world,  and  you  have  a  part  to  perform.  You 
can  only  act  in  concert  with  others.  We  are  all  each 
other's  implements  of  action — tools  if  you  please.  Now 
you  say  these  tools  are  not  fit  to  work  with  ;  that  they' 
possess  no  true  steel  ;  that  they  are  mere  pewter,  whicn 
turn  awry  as  soon  as  struck  into  the  stubborn  soil. 
Very  good ;  but  they  are  the  only  ones  you  have,  and 
to  say  that  you  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  them,  is 
simply  to  say  that  you  will  remain  idle." 

"  Would  you,"  said  Horace,  "  think  of  devoting  your- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSK.ILLS.  137 

self  to  accomplishing  good  by  acting  in  concert  with 
such  people  as  the  inmates  of  the  castle  yonder  ?  Why, 
you  could  only  be  tolerated  in  fellowship  with  them  by 
engaging  in  most  of  the  practices  which  render  them  in 
famous.  For  the  purpose . of  doing  a  very  little  good, 
you  would  have  to  perform  a  much  larger  amount  of 
evil.  You  cannot  work  with  such  tools  without  defiling 
yourself  utterly." 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  say,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  that  we 
should  pick  up  any  tools  that  might  come  to  hand.  But 
that  we  ought  to  be  able  to  find  some  with  which  we 
may  be  able  to  delve,  and  accomplish  something ;  that 
we  might  find  a  body  of  men  with  whom  we  might  con 
scientiously  act,  and  hold  fellowship  ;  that  we  might 
find  some  in  whom  we  could  put  faith  ;  that  we  might 
find  some  on  whom  we  could  rely  as  not  all  bad  ;  and 
that  we  may  give  them  our  support,  and  receive  theirs, 
in  order  to  accomplish  the  various  ends  of  life." 

"  I  don't  say  it  is  impossible  to  do  so,"  said  Horace. 
"  I  only  complain  that  I  seem  to  be  balked  every  time  I 
make  the  attempt.  I  came  here  to  the  mountains 
hoping  to  get  away  for  a  short  time,  out  of  sight  and 
hearing  of  the  corruption  that  seems  to  have  embraced 
in  its  serpentine  coils  all  the  business  of  life  ;  and  here  I 
have  fallen  among  a  select  society  of  corruption} sts. 
Worse  than  that,  I  have  only  come  here  to  discover  that 
the  one  whom  I  had  looked  upon  as  being  pure  above 
all  suspicion,  is  related  to  these  freebooters — blamelessly, 
"it  may  be,  but  still  related  in  a  manner  that  may  in  a 
short  time  make  her  an  apologist  for  their  remorseless 
acts. 

"  So  it  seems  to  be   ever,"    continued  Horace.     "  All 

food  seems  finally  to  merge  into  evil.  Or  rather,  I 
oubt  but  it  would  be  more  proper  to  say  that  good  ap 
pears  to  be  only  a  modification  of  evil.  Unmitigated 
evil  seems  to  be  the  starting  point,  and  every  measure 
of  good  is  only  a  little  less  of  evil.  We  may  suppose 
the  sum  of  events  to  be  a  chain  in  which  the  links  are 
the  various  grades  of  human  beings  joining  hands.  Evil 
is  at  the  head,  a  powerful  giant,  a  devil  incarnate,  and 
the  next  individual  in  the  chain  is  only  less  bad.  So  on 
down  the  chain,  and  the  one  who  is  measurably  good  is 


138  THE   LEECH   CLTJB  J   OB,   THE 

hanging  on  to  the  very  tail  end  of  the  series,  with  a  very 
uncertain  hold,  ready  to  be  swung  off  at  any  time  by 
the  whirling  of  the  catenation,  with  which  he  has  so 
little  affinity. 

"  AV  e  have  an  example  of  this  right  here.  See  how 
the  good  Charity  Faithful  is  tagged  on  to  this  iniquitous 
Club.  While  in  her  nature,  good  greatly  predominates, 
through  the  relationship  her  mother  may  be  brought  to 
apologize  for  the  acts  of  her  husband's  confreres — nay, 
she  does  already.  The  daughter  may  easily  be  persuaded 
to  think  as  the  mother  does.  Those  who  admire  the 
daughter  for  her  goodness  of  heart,  may  be  insensibly 
drawn  into  regarding  the  things  which  she  tacitly  ap 
proves,  as  most  probably  right,  or  at  least  excusable. 
Thus  does  the  larger  amount  of  evil  mingle  with  the 
smaller  amount  of  good,  vitiate  and  absorb  it. 

"  Look  which  way  you  will,  you  see  this  verified.  You 
see  a  few  men  who  desire  to  labor  for  good  ;  but  they 
find  themselves  at  the  fag  end  of  the  chain,  and  tied  up 
by  their  connections.  Many  of  their  friends,  whose  aid 
they  need  in  their  projects  of  reform,  are  connected  in 
some  way  with  evil-doers.  Some  may  be  involved  in  a 
relationship  by  blood  with  the  knavish  ones,  while  others 
are  slightly  and  indirectly  partakers  of  their  acts  or  the 
fruits  thereof.  Thus  he  who  would  be  a  reformer,  is 
balked  as  soon  as  he  calls  on  his  friends  for  aid.  They 
become  alarmed.  They  see  that  by  the  contemplated  re 
formation,  their  friends,  whose  ways  are  crooked,  would 
be  brought  to  grief.  Some  who  have  only  in  an  indirect  * 
way  been  involved  in  the  wrong  doing,  begin  to  see  that 
they  will,  in  a  measure,  suffer  with  the  more  guilty. 
Thus  the  one  who  is  burning  for  reform  is  checkmated 
on  the  start  by  the  ties  of  friendship. 

"  FBIENDSHIP  is  responsible  for  the  major  portion  of 
the  unpunished  vice  in  the  country.  Men  default  and  em 
bezzle  the  funds  entrusted  to  their  care,  flattering  them 
selves  that  their  friends  will  save  them  from  punishment. 
They  take  the  lives  of  their  fellow-men,  depending  on 
their  friends  to  save  them  from  the  gallows.  And  the  state 
of  society  is  such  that  a  man  receives  credit  in  the  commu 
nity  for  standing  by  a  friend,  though  it  be  to  protect  him 
from  the  consequences  of  some  diabolical  deed,  or  the  com 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  139 

mission  of  some  great  official  outrage  against  the  common 
wealth.  And  the  man  who  turns  his  back  on  a  friend, 
and  leaves  him*to  merited  punishment  for  some  gross  act, 
is  generally  condemned  for  this  exhibition  of  Spartan 
justice.  So  the  administration  of  law  has  grown  to  be 
a  commerce  of  friendships,  or  what  is  worse,  a  question 
of  money. 

"  We  never  can  have  reform,  so  long  as  none  but 
the  friendless  are  punished.  It  is  only  for  comparatively 
petty  larceny  that  men  are  sent  to  the  State  prisons.  .The 
great  thieves  generally  -stand  in  the  high  places  of  the 
land.  A  man  steals  a  railroad,  or  plunders  the  public 
treasury  of  millions  of  dollars,  and  you  can  no  more 
punish  him  in  the  courts  than  you  can  call  down  the 
lightnings  of  Heaven  to  do  your  bidding.  A  man  picks 
the  pocket  of  a  passenger  on  the  cars  of  the  stolen  rail 
road,  of  a  few  dollars,  and  he  is  sent  to  the  State  prison 
for  ten  years.  The  thief  who  stole  the  railroad,  and  thus 
picked  a  hundred  pockets,  and  who  is  picking  the  pockets 
of  thousands  of  passengers  every  day  by  over-charges,  in 
order  that  he  may  have  money  to  defend  himself  in  the 
courts  against  those  whom  he  has  defrauded,  is  spoken  of 
as  the  Hon.  Mr.  So-and-So.  The  thief  who  pilfered  the 
few  dollars  is  only  known  as  one  making  up  the  stated 
number  of  convicts,  as  given  in  the  annual  official  reports. 

"  Thus  the  greater  crimes,  and  infinitely  the  greater 
amount  of  robberies,  are  committed  by  those  who  are 
soon  looked  up  to  as  among  the  most  honored  members 
of  the  community,  and  of  whom  there  is  scarcely  a 
thought  of  punishing.  Executors  rob  the  heirs  of  estates ; 
men  take  advantage  of  technicalities  in  the  laws  to  fleece 
their  neighbors  ;  almost  every  one  is  endeavoring  to  h'll 
his  pockets  at  the  expense  of  those  around  him.  And  so 
long  as  he  can  do  this  and  not  lay  himself  liable  to  con 
viction  of  any  offense  before  the  courts,  or  by  the  influ 
ence  of  his  friends  escape  conviction,  his  crimes  are  soon 
forgotten  ;  and  if  he  has  made  money  enough  by  his  ob 
liquity  to  be  able  to  expend  a  considerable  amount  in 
public  charities,  and  to  be  hospitable  with  his  neigh 
bors,  he  soon  becomes  an  esteemed  member  of  so 
ciety.  It  would  astonish  you  to  investigate  the  affairs 
of  any  community,  and  find  out  how  many  of  those 


140  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

termed  '  the  solid  men '  have  gotten  their  money  by  dis 
reputable — nay,  dishonest  means.  There  is  such  a  prestige 
attending  the  possession  of  wealth,  and  such  a  growing 
disposition  to  attain  it  by  other  than  the  slow  process  of 
honest  labor,  that  men  hazard  their  reputations  on  at 
tempts  to  get  it  by  a  single  grand  coup  de  main,  knowing 
that  if  they  succeed  their  malfeasance  will  soon  be  for 
gotten,  and  they  will  shortly  be  admitted  into  the  com 
munity  of  gentlemen /  who  dazzle  the  crowd  in  cities, 
and  nourish  at  summer  resorts  during  the  exhausting  hot 
weather ;  who,  while  they  rejoice' that  they  are  no  longer 
compelled  to  tax  themselves  with  the  less  genteel  employ 
ment  of  laboring  for  a  living,  still  show  that  they  have  some 
regard  left  for  those  who  are  not  so  fortunate  as  they,  by 
contributing  to  charitable  purposes  such  crumbs  as  they 
can  well  spare  from  their  stolen  competency.  While  these 
successful  criminals  are  thus  reveling  on  the  fat  of  the 
lanol,  the  poor,  friendless  thief,  who  has  stolen  a  few  dol 
lars,  in  order  that  he  may,  as  he  thinks,  enjoy  himself;  or 
has  appropriated  a  suit  of  clothes  to  warm  him,  or  bread 
to  appease  his  hunger  and  that  of  his  family — he  is  lan 
guishing  and  toiling  in  prison. 

"  I  do  not  say  that  the  respectable  criminals  who  escape 
punishment,  always  continue  to  retrograde  morally  the 
same  as  those  less  fortunate  thieves  who  get  in  limbo. 
The  successful  swindler,  if  he  is  shrewd,  will  cease  his 
swindles,  in  a  measure,  after  he  has  amassed  a  compe 
tency,  and  there  being  no  longer  any  necessity  for  him  to 
practice  knavery  for  a  living,  ne  often  becomes  to  all  out 
ward  appearances,  one  of  the  most  upright  citizens  of 
the  community,  and  obtains  a« reputation  as  such.  All  re 
ports  of  his  previous  obliquity  are  either  forgotten  or  dis 
believed.  Perhaps  you  will  say  that,  having  repented  of 
his  evil-doings,  and  now  adopted  a  useful  course  of  life, 
he  deserves  forgiveness.  But,  to  my  notion,  his  case  is 
precisely  similar  to  that  of  the  man  who  stole  a  sheep, 
and  as  he  was  carrying  it  away,  his  conscience  troubled 
him,  and  he  laid  the  sheep  down,  and  prayed  for  forgive 
ness.  Getting  up  from  his  knees,  he  shouldered  the 
sheep,  and  walked  on.  Was  he  not  the  same  sheep-thief 
that  he  was  before,  not  having  restored  the  animal  to  its 
pasture  ? 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS. 

"  Sometimes  the  successful  criminal  continues  in  his 
iniquitous  course  of  robbery,  but  he  manages  to  do  just1 
a  sufficient  amount  of  good  to  muddle  the  public  mind 
into  the  belief  that  he  is  a  high-toned  gentleman,  and 
that  everything  he  does  must  be  right,  notwithstanding, 
to  a  superficial  looker-on,  it  is  apparently  infamous.  Min 
isters  of  the  gospel,  and  heads  of  charitable  institutions 
who  have  received  the  beneficiaries,  when  asked  whether 
they  think  they  are  justified  in  accepting  such,  defend 
the  munificent  giver  by,  perhaps,  saying :  '  That  myan's 
life  is  a  paradox.  It  may  seem  to  you  that  he  is  highly 
culpable.  But  if  you  could  see  down  into  all  the  ramifi 
cations  of  his  intricate  affairs,  you  would  discover  that 
they  are  conducted  on  honest  principles.' 

"  So  the  successful  criminal,  whether  he  continues  in 
his  nefarious  practices  or  not,  gets  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  laws,  and  stands  among  the  foremost  men  of  the 
country.  It  would  be  the  height  of  folly  to  attem-pt  to 
bring  him  into  the  courts  for  an  act  that  would  consign 
the  friendless  criminal  to  penal  labor  for  many  years. 
Judges  are  but  men,  and  they  imbibe  the  dtelusion  that 
permeates  the  whole  community.  They  fall  into  the 
habit  of  regarding  the  successful  swindler  as  a  good 
and  useful  citizen.  His  .nefarious  acts  become  modified 
in  the  eyes  of  the  courts  into  what  is  termed  the  neces 
sary  finesse  of  a  business  man  ;  and  he  is  so  hedged  about 
by  the  glamour  of  wealth  and  success  that  there  is  hardly 
a  limit  to  the  lengths  to  which  he  may  go  in  setting  the 
laws  at  defiance. 

"  The  peculators  on  a  smaller  scale,  who  have  no  friends 
to  aid  them  in  dodging  the  statutes,  become  convicts,  and 
as  there  is  no  longer  any  hope  or  ambition  for  them,  they 
are  apt  to  continue  in  the  downward  course  of  common 
crime.  Though  their  first  crimes  may  not  have  been  any 
thing  like  as  bad  as  those  of  many  more  successful  crimi-  ' 
nals  who  now  fill  high  places,  they  have  reached  the 
lowest  depths  of  degradation,  and  feel  that  nothing  they 
can  do  can  add  to  their  disgrace.  Therefore  they  are  apt 
to  continue  in  a  course  of  petty  crime — -I  say  petty  crime 
as  compared  to  that  of  the  large  swindlers  who  escape 
'and  are  honored  for  it — and  these  smaller  criminals  re- 


J42  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

main  as  outlaws  to  society.  Such  are  the  different  fates 
of  the  large  criminals  and  the  small  ones. 

"  So  the  man  who  engages  in  any  of  the  leading  affairs 
of  life  with  the  purpose  of  taking  a  high  and  honorable 
stand,  finds  the  door  shut  against  his  advancement.  If 
he  desires  to  practice  law,  he  soon  sees  that  it  is  more  the 
business  of  the  lawyer  to  pervert  the  laws  and  prevent 
their  execution,  than  to  secure  their  honest  enforcement. 
If  he  engages  in  mercantile  and  commercial  affairs,  he 
finds  a  system  of  business  morals  prevailing  that  sets  him 
aghast.  If  he  chooses  the  gospel  ministry  for  a  profes 
sion,  he  finds  himself  compelled  to  countenance  among 
the  members  of  his  church,  men  who  he  knows  ought 
rather  to  be  clanking  the  chains  of  the  convict, 
than  passing  the  communion  cup.  And  worst  of  all, 
if  he  desires  to  enter  the  political  arena — the  field  so 
prolific  with  golden  opportunities  to  the  man  of  mind 
and,  culture — he  finds  the  most  open,  shameless  and  sys 
tematic  dishonesty  that  could  be  inaugurated  in  a  Utopia 
of  villainy,  where  all  regulations  were  specially  framed 
by  robbers.  The  corruption  of  the  age  has  permeated 
Church,  State,  and  business  circles,  and  made  the  whole 
subservient  to  its  base  ends. 

"  There  seems  to  be  no  place  left  for  a  man  who  would 
like  to  thrive  by  unadulterated  honesty ;  no  place  for  a 
man  who  would  like  to  triumph  by  his  industry  and  ac 
quirements — unless  it  be  the  industry  of  sleepless  ras 
cality,  and  the  acquirements  of  the  code  of  chicanery. 
The  man  who  does  not  find  pleasure  in  these  things,  has 
little  source  of  enjoyment,  and  there  does  not  seem  to 
be  much  for  him  to  do  but  to  fold  his  arms,  and  look  on, 
a  single,  lonesome  spectator  to  the  grand  drama  of  knav 
ery,  in  which  the  greater  part  of  the  world  are  the  ac- 
tors." 

Horace  here  concluded,  and  Mr.  Graphic  said : 

"  There  is  much  of  truth  and  much  of  over-coloring 
in  what  you  say.  I  cannot  believe  that  the  whole  ma 
chinery  of  society  is  quite  so  much  out  of  gear  ;  or  that 
it  is  rather  running  backwards,  as  you  intimate.  If  a 
man  should  act  from  your  standpoint,  he  would  literally 
do  nothing,  because  by  acting,  he  must  join  hands  with 
those  who  engage  in  dishonest  practices,  and  become,  in 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CAT8KILLS.  143 

some  measure,  involved  in  their  guilt.  Is  not  this  what 
your  theory  leads  to  ?" 

"  I  have  simply  been  stating  the  case  as  I  think  it  is  in 
fact.  I  don't  advise  any  one  to  draw  from  it  strictly 
any  of  his  rules  of  action.  But  I  say  this  for  myself: 
I  think,  were  society  so  constituted  that  I  could  do  so1,  I 
could  find  as  much  pleasure  in  rising  in  my  profession  by 
industry  in  mastering  its  principles,  and  not  by  giving 
my  time  to  the  study  of  chicanery — I  could  find  as  much 
pleasure  in  this  as  men  do  in  heaping  up  ill-gotten  wealth 
derived  from  robbing  their  neighbors  and  the  public. 
But  you  see  there  is  no  chance  for  me  or  any  one  to  rise 
thus  in  the  profession  of  law,  for  the  principal  business 
of  a  lawyer  now  is  to  assist  all  sorts  of  tricksters  in  evad 
ing  the  laws.  Now,  for  my  part,  while  I  do  not  mean  to 
remain  a  drone  and  an  idler,  I  will  accept  some  humble 
and  subordinate  position,  where  I  can  earn  my  bread 
without  being  an  instrument  to  aid  systematic  rascality." 

"It  appears  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "that  you  will 
soon  think  better  than  to  immure  into  obscurity  talents 
and  abilities  such  as  yours.  The  recent,  singular  con 
spiracy  of  circumstances  which  you  have  encountered 
here,  has  had  a  depressing  effect  on  your  nervous  system. 
But  we  will  argue  the  subject  no  farther.  I  hear  the 
echoes  of  the  gong  sounding  for  supper.  Let  us  return 
to  the  castle." 


CHAPTER 

A     WEDDING 


WE  know  that  our  lady  readers  will  glance  joyously  at 
the  heading  of  this  chapter.  A  Wedding  !  How  much 
is  embraced  in  these  two  words.  And  when  we  say 
"  embraced,"  we  have  no  idea  of  making  a  pun.  And 
why  shouldn't  the  ladies,  as  wrell  as  the  rest  of  mankind, 
be  rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  a  wedding  ?  Despite  the 


144  THE   LELCH    CLUB  J    OK,  THE 

affectation  of  crusty  old  bachelors  and  old  maids  to  re 
gard  as  weaknesses  the  ecstasies  of  young  ladies  in  con 
templation  of  a  wedding,  the  hymeneal  ceremony  is  the 
true  beginning  of  manhood  and  womanhood.  It  is  sug 
gestive  of  many  little  felicities  that  are  supposed  to  de 
light  the  female  heart.  The  ladies  attending  a  wedding 
will,  of  course,  be  adorned  like  newly-blown  rose  bushes, 
refreshed  by  a  spring  shower — a  shower  of  approving 
smiles,  for  instance,  from  the  exquisitely  dressed  beaux 
who  are  in  attendance.  And  if,  as  women  complain,  men 
monopolize  all  the  solid  affairs  of  life,  we  don't  see  why 
the  ladies  should  not  enjoy  the  monopoly  of  shining 
forth  pre-eminently  on  such  interesting  occasions  as  wed 
dings.  We  were  not  created  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
scratching  ourselves  on  the  thorns  of  life.  It  is  a  part 
of  existence  occasionally  to  bathe  in  ambrosia,  and 
revel  among  flowers. 

Weddings  are  certainly  a  very  ancient  institution. 
Adam  had  hardly  gptten  well  established  in  the  garden, 
when  he  and  Eve  were  married.  It  is  true  that  the  cere 
mony  was  not  attended  with  all  the  pomp  and  display  of 
the  present  day,  but  it  was  doubtless  just  as  interesting 
to  them  according  to  the  light  they  had.  Eve  was  not 
dressed  in  a  splendid,  trailing  tarlatan  robe,  with  flowing 
veil  reaching  to  the  ground ;  nor  had  Adam's  tailor  spent 
weeks  in  fitting  him  according  to  the  latest  fashions,  with 
swallow-tailed  coat,  snowy  vest,  and  pants  fitting  like  the 
tights  of  a  circus-rider.  Nor  were  there  a  bevy  of  brides 
maids  supporting  Eve,  and  a  corresponding  number  of 
groomsmen  standing  by  Adam,  as  so  many-needed  auxil 
iaries  on  a  trying  occasion. 

•  There  were  several  reasons  why  this  first  wedding  did 
not  take  place  a  la  mode,  according  to  the  more  ad 
vanced  ideas  of  the  present  day.  In  the  first  place,  as  to 
Eve  wearing  a  trailing  dress  of  exquisite  gauze  :  the 
\vedding  took  place  in  the  open  air  in  the  garden,  and 
had  she  worn  such  a  dress,  it  would  most  probably  have 
been  torn  into  smithereens  by  catching  on  the  shrubbery 
as  she  swept  up  to  the  altar.  Then,  even  if  she  had 
been  as  regardless  of  the  welfare  of  her  trailing  skirts  as 
are  some  of  her  descendants  of  the  present  day,  who 
sweep  the  streets  gratis,  there  was  no  direct  communica- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  14:5 

tion  with  the  French  manufacturers  and  Parisian  dress 
makers,  arid  the  procuring  of  such  a  toilet  would  have 
Occasioned  a  long  delay  of  the  bridal  ceremony  ;  which 
was  not  to  be  thought  of,  seeing  the  immense  amount  of 
work  that  was  before  the  young  couple  as  soon  as  their 
honeymoon  should  be  over,  to  take  charge  of  an  unde 
veloped  farm,  the  limits  of  which  were  co-extensive  with 
the  earth,  and  not  a  single  line  fence  built.  As  for 
Adam's  wedding  wardrobe,  it  was  just  as  deficient  as 
that  of  Eve,  for  similar  causes.  For  though  Adam  is 
supposed  to  have  become  a  very  fair  tailor  in  after  years, 
and  Eve  a  passable  dress-maker,  and  both  of  them 
adepts  in  most  of  the  mechanical  trades  pertaining  to 
their  sex,  their  artistic  knowledge  was  not  sufficiently 
developed  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  to  enable  them 
to  present  themselves  in  attire  to  accord  with  more  mod 
ern  notions.  It  was  not  because  they  considered  it  un- 
aristocratic  to  make  their  own  clothes  that  they  failed 
to  appear  dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion  on  their 
nuptial  day — be  it  said  to  the  shame  of  some  of  their 
descendants  who  affect  to  despise  honest  labor. 

As  to  the  absence  of  bridesmaids  and  groomsmen : 
this  was  owing  in  the  first  place  to  the  fact  that  there 
were  no  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  the  vicinity,  the 
same  age  of  Adam  and  Eve,  to  act  in  that  capacity. 
Then,  it  was  not  so  necessary  to  have  witnesses  at  that 
day  to  render  the  ceremony  binding.  Eve  was  not 
afraid  that  Adam  would  abscond  with  some  other 
woman,  nor  was  he  afraid  that  she  would  elope  with 
some  designing  libertine.  Their  confidence  was  not  mis 
placed  ;  for,  though  Eve  did  hearken  to  the  seductive 
wiles  of  the  serpent,  she  was  never  false  to  her  marital 
vows ;  nor  did  Adam,  wander  off,  and  flirt  with  the 
Darwinian  daughters  of  the  earth,  who  must  have  been 
quite  numerous  at  that  time  in  the  adjoining  countries. 

But  we  have  not  cited  this  primitive  wedding  for  the 
purpose  of  impressing  its  simplicity  on  our  readers  as  an 
example  to  be  followed  at  the  present  day ;  it  would 
not  be  thought  becoming  for  a  bride  and  groom  at  the 
present  time  to  appear  at  the  altar  dressed  like  Adam 
and  Eve  on  their  wedding  day;  on  the  contrary,  our  ob 
ject  is  to  show  how  gracefully  Adam  and  Eve  adapted 
7 


14:6  THE   LEECH   CLUB  ;    OK,    THE 

themselves  to  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  to  draw  the  in 
ference  that  the  brides  and  grooms  of  the  present  day 
may  avail  themselves  of  the  better  facilities  afforded  by 
the  times.  Manufacturers  have  exhausted  their  ingenu 
ity  to  weave  fabrics  for  female  attire  as  dainty,  almost 
as  unsubstantial,  as  the  gorgeous  sunbeams  that  tip  and 
fringe  the  garments  of  a  cloud.  Jewelers  and  lapida 
ries  have  taxed  their  capacities  to  plan  devices  where 
with  to  ornament  the  female  form.  To  say  that  these 
fairy  equipments  shall  not  be  worn,  is  almost  equivalent 
to  saying  that  the  butterfly  shall  not  appear  in  its  gor 
geous  colors,  the  bird  in  its  brilliant  plumage,  nor  the 
fleeting  mists  of  the  morning  reflect  the  golden  hues  of 
the  rising  sun.  We  don't  care  to  take  the  responsibility 
of  saying  that  the  youth  of  both  sexes  may  not  shine 
with  the  resplendence  that  pleases  them;  only  premising 
that  they  should  not,  in  order  to  do  so,  discount  gold- 
leaf  hereafter  to  be  battered  by  the  hard  toil  of  life  ; 
and  bear  in  mind  that  there  are  other  destinies  for  them 
to  fulfill  besides  displaying  the  sheen  of  their  resplen 
dent  butterfly  wings. 

The  wedding,  of  which  it  is  the  especial  object  of 
this  chapter  to  speak,  took  place  in  a  fashionable  church 
in  a  large  city.  The  reader  has  already  been  made 
acquainted  with  the  high  contracting  parties.  If  the 
young  ladies  like  to  contemplate  an  exquisite  groom,  a 
love  of  a  man :  one  who  appeared  to  have  been  kept 
generally  in  a  band-bcx,  and  only  let  out  for  this 
especial  occasion,  then  this  one  will  please  them.  He 
was  loaded  down  with  finery  and  jewelrv,  for  a  man. 
Had  there  been  any  excuse  whatever  for  him  to  wear  a 
trailing  robe  and  flowing  veil,  he  would  undoubtedly 
have  done  so. 

And  then  his  manners  were  so  mincing  and  charming. 
His  style  of  speaking  was  exquisite.  He  could  mince 
words  in  a  manner  to  put  to  shame  the  most  spooney 
boarding-school  miss  that  you  ever  saw.  He  was  none 
of  your  blunt,  countrified  young  men,  who  speak  the 
English  language  out  full  and  clear.  There  was  that 
about  his  every  word  and  act  which  stamped  him  as  the 
distilled  essence  of  city-bred,  band-box  aristocracy. 
Don't  you  love  him,  young  ladies? 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  14:7 

The  bride,  on  the  contrary,  had  evidently  been  edu 
cated  in  the  country.  Though  dressed  in  the  height  of 
fashion,  and  garnished  with  jewelry,  these  decorations 
seemed  as  unsuitable  to  her  as  the  wings  of  the  butterfly 
to  the  staid  cricket.  And  she  did  not  have  that  mincing 
fluency  of  tongue,  which  is  so  fine  an  accomplishment 
of  the  pupils  of  Mrs.  Fancylisp's  school.  The  groom 
was  evidently,  in  almost  every  respect,  much  better 
qualified  for  acting  the  part  of  a  bride,  than  was  the  one 
who  had  to  perform  that  part  on  this  occasion.  It 
will  always  remain  a  mystery  why  the  bride  and  groom 
did  not,  for  the  time,  change  places,  seeing  that  it  would 
not  have  made  a  very  material  difference  in  the  recital 
of  the  marriage  vows.  The  groom  could  have  acted  the 
part  of  the  bride  to  perfection.  The  greater  the  amount 
of  gorgeous  attire  that  could  have  been  gotten  upon  him, 
the  happier  he  would  have  been.  He  would  have  re 
joiced  at  the  privilege  of  mincing  his  words  like  a  highly 
educated  young  lady,  instead  of  being  tied  down  to  the 
circumscribed  limits  of  an  aristocratic  young  man.  And 
the  bride  would  have  done  very  well  as  a  groom.  She 
would  have  moved  with  much  more  grace  and  freedom 
in  male  attire  than  in  the  cumbersome  bridal  robes,  the 
like  of  which  she  was  entirely  unaccustomed  to.  Fur 
thermore,  though  her  voice  was  not  masculine,  it  would 
much  sooner  have  passed  as  such  in  that  refined  society 
than  that  of  the  exquisite  groom.  But  as  no  one 
thought  of  making  such  a  happy,  temporary  exchange 
of  situations,  the  ceremony  had  to  proceed  as  best  it 
could. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  inform  the  reader  that  the 
bride  and  groom  of  the  occasion  were  Miss  Mary  Shoe- 
man  and  Mr.  Sindandy.  There  were  six  bridesmaids,  all 
magnificently  arrayed,  and  of  course  a  similar  number  of 
groomsmen,  on  whose  raiment  all  the  niceties  of  the  tai 
loring  art  had  been  exhausted ;  and  the  jewelry  establish 
ments  of  the  city  had  evidently  been  ransacked  to  bedeck 
them  with  precious  ornaments.  We  will  not  pester  the 
reader  with  a  chapter  of  "Jenkins  "  on  the  toilets  of  the 
ladies,  or  the  superb  outfits  of  the  gentlemen ;  but  leave 
these  to  be  inferred  from  the  general  statement  that  noth 
ing  was  wanting  which  money  could  purchase,  or  persist- 


148  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

ent  shopping  discover,  to  present  bride  and  groom,  brides 
maids  and  groomsmen,  and  guests,  in  all  the  glory  and 
splendor  of  the  Leech  Club. 

Poor  Mary  Shoeman  was  ill  at  ease  among  her  more 
accomplished  companions — more  accomplished,  at  least, 
in  the  art  of  spending  money  which  had  cost  them  no 
labor.  Mary's  father  was  rich,  but  his  wealth  had  been 
the  slow  accumulation  of  industry  and  economy;  and 
money  thus  won  is  not  readily  expended  by  its  possessor 
for  unnecessary  things,  no  matter  how  much  he  may  have 
of  it.  Mr.  Shoeman  rich,  had  not  greatly  changed  the 
habits  and  mode  of  living  from  those  of  Mr.  Shoeman 
in  his  poorer  days,  and  Mary  had  hitherto  had  but  little 
more  finery  than  the  daughters  of  those  whose  sole  wealth 
was  a  small  clearing,  and  who  were  often  the  employes  of 
her  father.  But  now  that  Mary  was  to  contract  such  a 
splendid  alliance,  Mr.  Shoeman  had  been  persuaded  to  fit 
his  daughter  ou{  with  all  the  gorgeousness  of  her  affi 
anced  husband's  friends.  He  did  not,  however,  thus  part 
with  his  hard-earned  dollars  without  some  thought  of  get 
ting  them  back  with  interest.  He  had  been  persuaded  to 
go  into  the  political  arena  at  the  next  campaign,  when  he 
was  assured  that,  with  the  countenance  of  the  Leech  Club, 
he  should  be  successful,  and  would  have  the  opportunity 
of  reaping  a  rich  harvest  from  the  seed  cast  upon  the 
waters. 

The  bridal  party  proceeded  to  the  church  in  splendid 
carriages  drawn  by  richly-caparisoned  horses,  driven  by 
liveried  coachmen  and  attended  by  liveried  footmen. 
Royalty,  itself,  could  scarcely  surpass  such  splendor. 
Only  a  few  of  the  bride's  country  friends  were  present. 
Miss  Phebe  Greenwood  had  been  importuned  to  be  pres 
ent  as  one  of  the  bridesmaids,  with  Mr.  Flitaway  as  her 
attendant  groomsman,  but  she  had  positively  rejected 
the  proffered  honor.  That  gallant  had  made  no  more  pro 
gress  in  the  good  graces  of  Miss  Greenwood  since  the  im 
prisonment  of  John  Woodman  than  before,  though  the 
suit  of  the  city  beau  had  been  feebly  favored  by  the 
parents  of  the  young  lady. 

Everything  went  on  auspiciously,  and  the  ceremony 
commenced,  by  which  the  unsophisticated  country  girl 
was  to  be  joined  for  life  to  the  superb  city  swell.  Silence 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSZILLS.  149 

as  profound  as  that  of  the  secluded  Catsldlls  reigned 
through  the  glittering  audience,  the  rustling  of  the  silks 
corresponding  to  that  of  the  forest  leaves  fanned  by  the 
passing  breeze.  The  bridal  party  stood  in  imposing  ar 
ray  at  the  altar.  The  officiating  clergyman  had  proceeded 
as  far  in  the  ceremony  as  to  pronounce  the  words : 

"  If  any  one  has  aught  to  say  why  these  two  should  not 
be  joined  together  in  the  holy  bonds  of  wedlock,  let  him 
speak  now,  or  hereafter  hold  his  peace  forever !" 

A  brief  pause  followed  this  enunciation,  and  the  clergy 
man  had  opened  his  lips  to  proceed,  when  a  strange  figure 
arose  in  a  far  corner  of  the  church.  His  dress,  though 
respectable,  was  of  antiquated  pattern,  his  hair  was 
straight  and  black,  and  his  complexion  was  swarthy.  Be 
fore  he  had  uttered  a  word,  Mr.  Flitaway  had  caught 
sight  of  him,  and  his  agitation  was  so  great  as  to  disturb 
the  entire  bridal  party.  Mr.  Sindandy  naturally  had  his 
attention  drawn  in  the  direction  that  his  groomsman  was 
looking,  and  seeing  the  strange  figure,  he,  too,  trembled 
visibly.  The  stranger  was  seen  motioning  to  a  young 
woman  who  sat  near  him,  weeping.  He  was  evidently 
trying  to  persuade  her  to  make  some  sort  of  demonstra 
tion.  Failing  to  do  so,  he  at  length  exclaimed,  in  a  deep, 
solemn  voice : 

"  I  forbid  the  consummation  of  this  marriage,  in  the 
name  of  this,  young  woman,  who  has  been  wickedly 
wronged  by  that  man  who  now  stands  before  the  altar,  and 
adds  perjury  to  his  other  crimes.  This  woman  who  sits 
here  is  already  his  wife  !" 

As  he  paused,  one  of  Miss  Shoeman's  male  friends, 
who  now  had  surveyed  the.  stranger  thoroughly,  ex 
claimed  : 

"  The  Hermit  of  the  Catskills  !" 

A  shudder  was  visible  among  those  of  the  company 
who  were  familiar  with  the  Catskill  regions,  and  had 
heard  of  this  strange  being.  The  young  woman  who 
had  sat  with  her  face  covered,  weeping,  finally  mustered 
courage  to  arise,  when  Miss  Shoeman  recognized  her  as 
one  of  her  neighbors,  and  said,  in  a  quick  tone  of  sur 
prise  : 

"Susan  Clarkson!" 

Mr.  Sindandy's  knees  shook  under  Mm,  and  had  he 


150  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

not  been  supported  by  his  groomsmen,  lie  would  have  fal 
len  to  the  floor.  The  bridal  party  became  completely  de 
moralized,  and  the  ceremony  which  had  been  inaugurated 
with  such  pomp,  and  under  such  auspicious  circumstances, 
seemed  about  to  be  broken  up  in  the  most  ignominious 
manner  by  a  poor  country  girl,  whose  fear  that  her  shame 
might  soon  be  exposed,  overcame  her  timidity  and  drove 
her  on  to  face  her  destroyer  in  his  stronghold.  But  she 
reckoned  without  the  host  of  myrmidons  who  there  stood 
ready  to  do  the  bidding  of  the  potent  member  of  the 
Leech  Club. 

Mr.  Sindandy  soon  regained  his  composure,  and  he 
pronounced  the  interference  a  conspiracy  gotten  up  to 
annoy  him.  Summoning  a  policeman,  who  was  only  too 
glad  to  come  at  the  beck  and  call  of  his  patron,  he  gave 
the  weeping  girl  into  the  charge  of  the  officer.  But  he 
did  not  get  rid  of  her  without  a  scene.  She  clung  to  the 
sides  of  the  pew,  and  smarting  under  her  wrongs,  she  found 
her  speech.  She  charged  the  splendid  snob  with  the  crime 
of  bigamy,  in  tones  of  bitterness  and  reproach  which 
must  nave  rung  in  his  ears  long  afterwards.  She  told 
him  of  his  marriage  vows,  and  his  promise  to  make  her  a 
lady  as  grand  as  any  who  were  then  present.  But  he 
had  regained  his  imperturbable,  idiotic  self-possession,  and 
her  words  had  no  more  effect  on  him  than  snow-flakes 
upon  the  salt  sea. 

"  Mistah  Policeman,"  said  he,  "  you  will  do  me  a  great 
favah  to  take  her  away  from  hea  immediately.  She  is 
surely  crazy." 

The  burly  policeman  loosened  her  hands  from  the 
pew,  as  if  her  grip  was  no  more  than  that  of  a  withered 
morning-glory  vine  to  a  lattice,  and  forced  her  mercilessly 
into  the  street.  She  was,  however,  followed  by  Mrs. 
Grandola,  who  wrote  on  a  card  the  name  of  a  street,  and 
number  of  a  dwelling,  telling  the  officer  to  take  her  there 
instead  of  to  the  station-house.  This  kind  lady  spoke  a 
few  words  of  comfort  to  the  poor  girl,  saying  she  had  or 
dered  her  conducted  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  where  she 
M'ould  be  well  cared  for.  A  carriage  was  called,  into 
which  the  policeman  urged  his  charge,  and  drove  away. 

Mr.  Sindandy  made  many  protestations  of  innocence. 
He  scarcely  knew  this  girl.  He  had  just  seen  her  in  the 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  151 

country  while  staying  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Shoeman.  She 
had  there  pestered  him  with  attentions,  which  he  had  dis 
couraged.  And  now,  under  some  hallucination,  she  had 
followed  him  to  the  city.  The  assemblage  finally 
smoothed  down  their  feathers  like  birds  which  have  been 
ruffled  by  a  rude  and  sudden  hurricane,  and  the  ceremony 
proceeded ;  this  time  without  interruption.  The  Hermit 
of  the  Cat§kills  had  disappeared  in  the  melee.  How  he 
came,  and  whither  he  went,  no  one  knew. 

As  the  party  came  forth  from  the  church,  the  counte 
nance  of  the  bride  wore  an  expression  like  that  of  one 
who  had  been  attending  the  funeral  of  a  dear  friend, 
rather  than  of  one  who  had  just  been  united  to  the  man 
of  her  choice.  And  there  were  others,  also,  whose  spirits 
had  been  greatly  affected  by  the  untoward  circumstance. 
Altogether,  it  was  any  thing  but  a  joyous  bridal  party 
which  got  into  the  splendid  carriages,  and  were  driven 
away. 

We  will  follow  Susan  Clarkson  to  the  quarters  to  which 
Mrs.  Grandola  had  so  kindly  sent  her,  instead  of  allowing 
her  to  be  consigned  to  the  station-house.  It  was  on  a 
genteel  street.  The  house  wore  a  neat  appearance  with 
out,  and  was  elegantly  furnished  within.  As  the  police 
man  who  accompanied  Susan,  rang  the  bell,  a  respectable- 
looking  female  came  to  the  door,  and  apparently  recog 
nized  the  officer.  It  is  wonderful,  the  ramifications  of 
the  Leech  Club.  At  the  church,  Mr.  Sindandy  had 
only  to  step  to  the  door,  whistle,  and  -this  policeman  was 
on  hand  in  a  moment,  at  once  recognizing  a  superior  in 
the  man  who  whistled  him.  Then  Mrs.  Grandola  inter 
venes  to  save  the  poor  girl  from  the  station-house,  gives 
the  policeman  an  address  in  a  distant  street,  and  behold 
the  officer  is  recognized  there  also. 

As  Susan  was  ushered  into  the  elegant  apartments  of 
this  mansion,  she  was  kindly  greeted  by  a  number  of 
young  women  of  ladylike  appearance.  They  assured 
her  that  she  would  find  a  home  and  friends  there,  till  such 
times  as  she  could  obtain  a  permanent  abiding  place. 
How  much  better  this  than  going  to  the  station-house. 

After  Susan  had  enjoyed  the  hospitalities  of  this  house 
a  day  or  two,  she  observed  that  the  young  ladies  of  the 
house  received  frequent  calls  from  very  fine  gentlemen. 


152  TUB  LEECH  CLUB;  OB,  THE 

She  was  introduced  to  some  of  these  young  men,  and  they 
also  became  quite  attentive  to  her.  Under  the  circum 
stances,  however,  she  did  not  feel  like  encouraging  these 
kindnesses.  She  was  drooping  under  a  corroding  grief, 
and  would  have  been  glad  to  hide  entirely  from  all  so 
ciety. 

It  was  not  long  before  she  had  a  confidential  conversa 
tion  with  the  mistress  of  the  house,  to  whom  she  told  her 
troubles.  It  was  the  old  story  of  woman's  credulity  and 
man's  treachery. 

The  lady  said  she  would. find  means  to  relieve  Susan  of 
the  responsibility  she  dreaded  ;  that  the  world  need  never 
know  aught  to  her  detriment ;  and  that  she  might  yet  be  as 
respected,  and  as  much  thought  of  as  the  sprightly  young 
ladies  who  were  her  companions  in  the  house.  How  good 
of  Mrs.  Grandola  to  send  her  there.  That  lady  knew  the 
mistress  of  the  house  to  have  an  especial  kindly  feeling 
for  young  women  who  had .  been  thus  unfortunate,  and 
she  had  before  sent  such  there,  knowing  that  they  would 
receive  protection  and  sympathy. 

And  now  it  was  the  turn  of  the  mistress  of  the  house 
to  give  Susan  some  confidential  information.  Some  of 
those  very  young  ladies  whom  she  saw  daily  in  the  house 
had  been  similarly  unfortunate.  They  had  there  sought 
an  asylum  in  their  troubles,  and  ever  afterward  they  re 
tained  so  much  gratitude  and  affection  for  their  benefac 
tress  that  they  preferred  to  remain  with  her.  The  du-ties 
which  she  required  of  them  were  not  onerous.  The  mis 
tress  had  an  extensive  circle  of  acquaintances — many  gen 
tlemen  friends — and  all  she  required  of  the  young  ladies 
of  her  establishment  was  to  entertain  these  in  a  ladylike 
manner.  Good,  philanthropic  soul ! 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

JOHN   WOODMAN    KECEIVES    A    MYSTERIOUS    COMMUNICATION. 

WHILE  there  are  many  more  than  rogues  enough  to  fill 
all  the  prisons,  could  they  only  be  caught  and  convicted, 
it  would  seem  that  things  are  very  badly  ordered  that  an 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  153 

innocent  man  should  be  doomed  to  confinement.  But, 
as  things  had  become  so  reversed  that  the  rogues  were  the 
administrators  of  law,  it  was  not  strange  that  they  should 
enact  a  sort  of  poetical  justice,  as  regards  their  commu 
nity,  and  consign  the  innocent  to  prison,  in  order  to  give 
the  latter  an  adequate  idea  of  the  situation.  It  quite 
frequently  happens  that  an  insane  person,  who  is  being 
conveyed  to  the  asylum,  turns  the  tables  on  the  officer 
who  has  him  in  charge,  by  abstracting  the  commitment 
papers,  and,  representing  the  officer  as  the  demented  in 
dividual,  effects  his  incarceration  in  the  hospital,  while 
the  real  lunatic  goes  about  his  business.  And  the  shrewd 
ness  manifested  by  the  lunatic  under  such  circumstances 
is  so  remarkable  as  to  create  a  doubt  among  mankind 
whether  there  is  any  difference  between  sanity  and  insan 
ity,  or  rather,  whether  those  called  lunatics  are  not 
actually  the  most  sane  ;  and  consequently,  whether  the  re 
versing  of  situations;  and  the  confinement  of  the  so-called 
sane  man  in  the  asylum,  is  not  a  fair  and  legitimate  ex 
change. 

Many  regard  all  sorts  of  moral  aberration  and  all  great 
criminality  as  a  species  of  insanity.  Taking  this  view  of 
the  case,  the  moral  lunatics,  at  the  time  of  these  events, 
had  gotten  control  of  matters,  and  the  less  shrewd  re 
puted-sane  people  were  receiving  the  treatment  hereto 
fore  accorded  to  the  criminals  who  were  now  their  mas 
ters.  Such  was  the  apparent,  abnormal  state  of  society. 

John  Woodman,  then,  may  be  regarded  as  one  of 
whom  a  moral  lunatic  had  gotten  the  best  of,  and 
placed  in  durance  vile.  As  the  sane  man  is  supposed 
to  have  a  keener  appreciation  of  the  odium  of  confine 
ment  in  a  lunatic  asylum,  so  the  man  guiltless  of  crime 
may  be  thought  to  feel  more  bitterly  the  galling  yoke  of 
penal  servitude  than  the  real  criminal.  John  toiled 
drearily,  almost  hopelessly,  on  his  island  prison  ;  some 
times  almost  ready  to  drop  down  and  expire  with  a 
broken  heart.  Perhaps  the  only  thing  that  sustained 
him  was  the  fact  that  his  days  were  spent  in  the  open 
air  in  the  quarry,  where  he  could  commune  with  nature, 
entirely  oblivious  to  the  presence  of  his  criminal  com 
panions. 

John  had  put  in  some  weeks  in  this  galling  situation  ; 
7* 


154:  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J    OR,    THE 

it  cannot  be  said  that  he  lived.  The  most  that  can  be 
said  is  that  the  Lord  had  not  yet  suffered  him  to  die. 
Doubtless  there  were  other  destinies  yet  for  him  to 
fulfill.  The  dreary  waves,  as  they  broke  against  the  sea 
wall,  seemed  constantly  to  chant  the  requiem  of  his  rep 
utation,  and  to  tell  him  how  much  better  was  the  fate  of 
those  whose  early  dreams  of  ambition  had  stopped  short 
of  fulfillment  at  the  threshold  of  the  grave. 

John  was  at  work  near  the  water,  in  full  sight  of 
passing  boats  and  skiffs,  when  a  most  remarkable  and 
mysterious  circumstance  -occurred.  He  was  a  little 
apart  from  his  gang,  working  with  a  crowbar,  when  there 
dropped  down  not  more  than  three  feet  in  front  of  him 
an  arrow.  It  seemed  to  come  from  the  clouds.  Pick 
ing  it  up,  he  observed  a  piece  of  paper  tied  to  the  stem. 
Instinctively  he  tore  off  the  paper,  and  concealed  it  in 
his  clothing.  The  arrow  consisted  of  a  stone  head,  such  as 
the  Indians  use,  and  the  frailest  kind  of  a  wooden  stem. 
The  stem  he  crushed  to  splinters,  so  that  its  remains 
could  attract  no  attention,  as  they  were  strewn  among 
the  fragments  of  rock.  As  John's  motions  were  ob 
served  by  the  keeper,  the  latter  stepped  up  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  John  presented  the  stone  arrow-head 
which  he  had  found.  As  such  relics  of  the  aborigines 
are  frequently  dug  up,  the  keeper  accepted  this  as  an 
explanation  ol  John's  pausing  in  his  work.  Taking  the 
arrow-head,  the  keeper  said  he  would  retain  it  to  deposit 
in  the  museum  in  the  city. 

The  time  seemed  long  to  John,  ere  he  could  retire  to 
his  cell,  and  see  what  was  in  the  paper  which  had  come 
to  him  so  mysteriously.  He  hardly  dared  to  hope  for  any 
amelioration  of  his  circumstances,  but  somehow  the 
thought  took  possession  of  him  that  the  paper  contained 
tidings  that  would  gladden  his  heart.  For  the  first  time 
he  was  anxious  to  be  locked  up  in  his  cell  when  the  day's 
work  was  done.  Drawing  from  his  bosom  the  little  bil 
let  of  paper,  he  found  folded  in  it  a  small  oil-cloth  bag, 
and  a  small  file.  On  the  paper  he  read  : 

" Can  you  manage  on  any  night  not  far  distant,  to  get 
out  of  your  cell,  and  repa'ir  to  the  sea-wall  near  where 
you  picked  up  the  arraw  ?  Write  on  the  ~back  of  this 
paper  what  you  can  do  put  it  in  the  oil-cloth  bag,  tie  it 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  155 

v/p  tight,  fasten  a  stone  to  it,  and  throw  it  over  the  sea 
wall  where  you  found  the  arrow,  to-morrow." 

John  read  this  with  amazement.  Where  could  it  have 
come  from  ?  Had  he  friends  in  the  clouds  to  drop  him 
such  a  message  ?  Or  did  it  come  from  some  friend  sail 
ing  upon  the  neighboring  water  ?  He  had  seen  no  vessel 
near  at  the  time  the  arrow  fell.  There  were  boats  and 
skiffs  afar  off,  but  he  thought  not  near  enough  to  send 
such  a  missile  in  a  circuit  through  the  sky  so  that  it 
could  fall  at  his  feet.  He  had  at  first  almost  a  mind  to 
attribute  it  to  supernatural  agencies,  concerning  w^hich  a 
belief  had  lately  grown  up  in  his  native  Catskill  region, 
through  the  strange  manifestations  that  had  lately  been 
developed  there.  But  he  soon  dismissed  this  thought,  or 
at  least  concluded  that  human  agency  must  have  had 
something  to  do  with  the  matter,  even  though  spirits 
might  have  been  instrumental  in  conveying  him  the  mes 
sage.  For  there  were  palpable  articles — paper,  oil-cloth, 
a  file.  He  had  material  philosophy  enough  about  him 
to  scout  the  idea  of  spirits  forging  the  file,  even  though 
they  might  have  access  to  the  innermost  caves  of  the 
Catskills,  and  the  minerals  in  the  bowels  of  the  moun 
tains. 

But  he  did  not  waste  much  time  in  useless  conjecture 
as  to  the  origin  of  the  message.  It  was  plain  that  it  came 
from  some  one  who  sought  to  relieve  him  from  his  terri 
ble  situation.  The  few  weeks'  confinement,  the  unwhole 
some  diet,  and  the  corroding  chagrin  consequent  upon  the 
thought  that  his  reputation  had  been  suddenly  blasted  for 
naught,  had  told  so  terribly  upon  his  naturally  strong 
frame  that  it  was  doubtful  if  he  could  live  to  the  end  of 
his  sentence.  His  only  hope  was  to  free  himself  from 
this  living  death  as  soon  as  possible. 

He  soon  began  to  look  about  his  cell,  to  see  what  facili 
ties  there  were  of  escape.  The  survey  was  soon  made, 
for  there  was  not  much  ground  to  go  over.  His  abiding 
place  was  no  more  than  a  small  closet.  The  only  method 
of  egress  was  through  an  iron  door,  the  hinges  and  lock 
of  which  he  could  not  reach  with  his  file.  Even  could  he 
get  this  door  open,  he  would  only  be  in  a  narrow  hall, 
from  which  there  was  no  way  of  escape.  His  cell  was  in 
a  part  of  the  building  which  had  apparently  once  been 


156  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

used  for  some  other  purpose,  and  the  window  through  the 
outer  wall  was  consequently  a  little  larger  than  those  in 
ordinary  cells.  But  this  window  was  protected  by  a  large 
bar  of  tempered  steel  through  the  center,  and  it  would  be 
useless  to  attack  this  with  a  tiny  file.  John  sat  down  on 
his  cot  in  despair  ! 

He  remained  for  some  time  with  his  face  covered  in 
his  hands.  "When  he  again  looked  up,  his  eyes  were  fixed 
on  the  narrow  window.  He  thought  if  he  could  only  re 
move  that  merciless  steel  bar,  he  would  be  able  to  squeeze 
himself  through  the  aperture.  He  examined  the  file.  It 
was  a  small,  slim  instrument,  rather  like  a  diminutive 
saw  than  a  file.  It  had  two  edges.  John  thought  it  was 
an  admirably  contrived  instrument,  and  he  concluded 
that,  after  all  had  retired  in  the  prison,  he  would  try  its 
temper  on  the  large  steel  bar.  He  called  to  mind  the  fa 
ble  of  the  mouse  that  gnawed  asunder  the  thongs  into 
which  the  lion  had  been  entrapped,  and  set  the  King  of 
beasts  free.  "Why  might  not  this  little  file,  or  saw,  be 
his  friendly  mouse  ?  "  Despise  not  the  day  of  small 
things ! " 

It  was  midnight  before  John  ventured  to  draw  the  file 
across  the  bar  which  stood  between  him  and  liberty. 
The  bar  itself  was  almost  as  hard  as  an  ordinary  file,  and 
it  literally  seemed  to  laugh  in  creaking  derision  as  John 
tickled  it  with  his  tiny  saw.  As  much  as  to  say  :  "  "Well, 
young  man,  if  that  sort  of  thing  amuses  you,  keep  doing 
so.  It  don't  hurt  me  any.  In  fact  I  am  rather  amused 
with  it.  I  have  been  itching  for  some  one  to  scratch  me 
down  there  this  good  while.  The  only  fault  I  find  is  that 
you  scratch  so  lightly  that  I  can  scarcely  feel  your  nails. 
Can't  you  lay  on  a  little  harder  ?  I  want  such  a  tickling 
as  will  make  me  laugh  outright.  Nonsense !  I  shall  not 
be  able  even  to  smile  if  you  can't  tickle  me  any  harder 
than  that.  I  wonder  if  it  is  anything  more  than  a  few 
small  gnats  that  are  biting  me  ?  The  foolish  things !  Do 
they  think  they  can  draw  blood  out  of  a  steel  bar  ?  Ha  1 
ha!  ha!" 

Though  John  did  not  make  much  impression  on  the 
bar,  he  found  that  his  little  instrument  was  admirably 
tempered,  and  at  least  did  not  turn  awry  at  the  contact. 
The  trouble  seeing  to  be  to  establish  a  sticking  place — 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  157 

a  crease  that  would  keep  the  little  saw  from  glancing 
over  the  surface  of  the  bar.  He  placed  a  little  chip  of 
wood  firmly  against  the  side  of  the  bar,  and  let  the  saw 
follow  along  the  chip,  so  as  to  keep  it  from  glancing 
about.  He  pursued  this  course  for  some  time,  and  feel 
ing  of  the  bar,  had  the  satisfaction  to  detect  the  smallest 
indication  of  a  crease.  He  worked  in  total  darkness,  and 
had  to  go  entirely  by  the  sense  of  feeling.  He  was  en 
couraged,  and  proceeded  with  unflagging  energy.  In 
about  an  hour  more  the  little  viper  01  a  file  had  ah  un 
mistakable  hold  into  the  bar,  and  could  keep  its  track 
without  the  aid  of  the  chip  of  wood  at  its  side.  In  an 
other  hour  it  was  sunken  its  entire  width  into  the  arro 
gant  steel,  and  the  bar  no  longer  gave  back  a  mocking 
laugh.  In  fact  it  rather  began  to  beg,  and  to  assume  a 
deprecating  tone,  as  much  as  to  say  : 

"There,  that  will  do.  You  have  tickled  me  long 
enough.  It  is  getting  late,  and  is  time  we  were  both 
asleep.  Thank  you,  you  need  not  scratch  me  any  more. 
I  have  not  got  the  itch.  There  was  only  a  little  rust 
down  there  that  I  wanted  scratched  off.  If  you  keep  on, 
you  will  scratch  through  my  skin,  and  then  I  will  break 
your  feather  in  pieces.  Come,  come,  a  joke  is  a  joke,  but 
this  is  getting  serious!" 

But  the  venomous  little  saw  kept  gnawing  away  like  a 
canker-worm,  and  as  it  passively  withstood  the  scoffs  of 
the  bar,  so  it  was  now  heedless  of  its  pleadings.  It  was 
approaching  the  heart  of  its  victim,  and  the  latter  no 
longer  even  protested  in  vigorous  tones,  but  rather  seemed 
to  gasp :  "  Stop,  you  will  run  that  needle  into  my  vitals, 
and  open  an  artery  that  may  bleed  me  to  death."  Soon 
the  persistent  little  file  will  bring  down  the  once  arrogant 
bar  as  the  weasel  did  the  hawk  which  carried  it  up  into 
the  air  thinking  to  make  a  meal  of  it. 

John  was  astonished  at  his  success.  By  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  was  half  through  the  bar,  when  he  de 
sisted,  for  fear  of  attracting  attention  from  the  officers  of 
the  prison.  He  calculated  from  the  progress  made  that 
he  could  sever  both  ends  of  the  bar  in  two  nights  more. 
He  accordingly  wrote  on  the  paper  that  he  would  be 
ready  on  the  first  dark  night  succeeding  the  second  from 
that  date.  He  cautioned  his  unknown  friend  not  to  come 


158  THE  LEECH    CLUB  J    0E,    THE 

for  him  till  they  were  favored  with  a  pitch-dark  night. 
He  gave  directions  to  signal  him  with  a  light  from  the 
water  on  a  certain  side  of  the  prison,  where  he  could  see 
it  from  his  cell.  He  then  placed  the  paper  in  the  oil 
cloth  bag.  After  filling  the  crease  in  the  partially  sev 
ered  bar  with  dampened  dust,  he  lay  down  for  a  short 
sleep. 

John  found  no  difficulty  during  the  day  in  attaching  a 
pebble  to  the  oil-cloth  bag,  and  throwing  it  over  the  sea 
wall,  unobserved.  He  saw  that  the  water  there  was  shallow 
at  low  tide,  and  that  the  bag  might  easily  be  found,  even  in 
the  night,  by  any  one  looting  for  it  carefully,  with  the 
aid,  perhaps,  oi  a  dark-lantern,  which  would  not  be  ob 
served  under  the  wall. 

John  had  not  miscalculated  the  time  that  would  be 
necessary  to  remove  the  obstructing  bar  from  the  window 
of  his  cell.  Lying  down  and  resting  on  each  evening  till 
nearly  midnight,  he  afterward  plied  his  instrument  so  in 
dustriously  that  in  two  nights  more  he  had  the  bar  as 
nearly  severed  as  he  dared.  A  few  minutes  more  with 
the  h'le,  and  he  could  snap  it  off  with  a  pull.  Carefully 
concealing  his  work,  he  now  waited  for  a  dark  night 
when  he  expected  to  see  a  signal  light  on  the  water. 

On  the  third  evening  after  he  had  gotten  the  steel  bar 
at  his  mercy,  the  skies  became  overclouded.  It  was  not 
pitch-dark,  but  the  obscurity  \vas  such  as  might  serve  the 
purpose.  John  would  rather  have  had  a  darker  night, 
but  he  thought  it  best  to  watch  for  the  signal.  After  it 
had  become  quite  late  in  the  evening,  he  remained  for 
most  of  the  time  with  his  face  at  the  window.  It  was 
past  midnight  when  he  saw  a  ray  of  light  dart  over  the 
water  and  immediately  disappear.  He  \vaited  for  a 
minute  or  two,  then  he  saw  a  light  arise  suddenly  as  from 
the  surface  of  the  water  five  or  six  feet  into  the  air.  Three 
times  this  was  repeated  in  quick  succession,  and  the  light 
was  no  longer  seen.  In  about  three  minutes  this  signal 
was  repeated.  John  no  longer  doubted  that  the  signal 
was  meant  for  him.  He  appeared  to  be  endued  with 
new  strength.  Grasping  the  bar,  he  snapped  it  off  like  a 
reed.  It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  he  squeezed 
through  the  narrow  window.  Fortunately  the  window 
was  not  more  than  twelve  feet  from  the  ground,  and 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  159 

hanging  on  by  his  hands,  he  let  himself  down,  so  that  he 
had  not  more  than  six  feet  to  drop,  and  he  received  no 
injury.  He  had  retained  the  steel  bar,  which  he  thought 
might  serve  for  a  weapon  in  case  of  an  emergency. 

Crouching  close  to  the  ground,  he  crept  along  toward 
the  spot  where  he  expected  to  find  a  boat  to  deliver  him 
from  captivity.  He  descried  through  the  murky  night 
guards  walking  to  and  fro  on  their  rounds.  When  the 
face  of  a  guard  was  toward  him,  he  lay  close  to  the  ground. 
At  length  he  reached  the  sea-wall  where  he  had  picked 
up  the  mysterious  message.  A  short  distance  from  this 
stood  a  sentry.  But  there  was  no  retreat,  and  he  crept 
on  to  the  very  brink  of  the  wall.  At  this  instant  the 
face  of  the  guard  was  turned  toward  him,  and  he  heard 
the  challenge : 

"  Who  goes  there  ?" 

John  was  evidently  discovered,  and  his  only  alterna 
tive  was  to  drop  some  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  wall 
upon  the  beach.  The  sentry  heard  the  splash,  and  fired 
his  musket,  giving  the  alarm.  Sentry  answered  to  sen 
try,  and  soon  the  whole  guard  were  on  the  alert.  The 
sentry  who  had  most  probably  seen  John  drop  from  the 
wall  did  not  venture  to  follow,  and  it  would  not  have 
been  safe  for  him  to  do  so.  But  John  found  no  friendly 
boat  to  meet  him  as  he  had  expected.  It  was  low  water, 
the  beach  was  partially  bare,  and  John  sat  down  close 
under  the  wall  to  escape  observation.  As  he  heard  the 
clatter  of  preparation  among  the  prison  guard,  his 
heart  sank  within  him.  Had  he  been  lured  on  to  this 
attempt  to  escape  by  some  false  and  evil  spirit,  who 
now  left  him  to  be  ignominiously  captured,  and  to  have 
his  punishments  multiplied  ? 

Pretty  soon  he  heard  a  splashing  in  the  water  along 
the  base  of  the  sea-wall,  at  some  distance  off.  John 
thought  at  first  that  some  of  the  guards  had  descended, 
and  were  approaching  him  in  that  direction.  Whatever 
it  was  approaching,  evidently  had  to  swim  at  times,  for 
occasionally  the  water  was  deep,  then  again  a  narrow 
strip  of  dry  beach  would ,  be  found  at  the  foot  of  the 
wall.  As  the  splashing  came  nearer,  he  heard  an  occa 
sional  growl,  and  he  comprehended  the  situation.  They 
had  let  loose  a  bloodhound  to  seek  him  !  How  lucky 


160  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

that  he  had  brought  that  steel  bar !  But  he  had  a  dan 
gerous  enemy  to  contend  with.  Should  he  fail  to  hit  the 
animal  with  his  weapon  at  the  first  dash,  his  own  doom 
was  sealed. 

A  short  distance  from  where  John  sat,  the  deep  water 
came  close  up  to  the  wall.  This  the  dog  would  have  to 
swim  before  reaching  him.  Here  John  determined  to 
meet  his  foe,  and  strike  him  while  he  was  in  the  water.' 
Repairing  to  the  spot,  he  saw  the  dog  plunge  in  on  the 
other  side.  The  savage  brute  saw,  and  seemed  to  re 
joice  that  his  prey  was  so  near.  John  waded  out  so  as 
to  meet  him  ere  he  got  his  foot  upon  the  land.  As  the 
furious  beast  drew  near,  John  dealt  him  a  blow  upon 
the  fore  shoulder,  which  caused  him  to  rend  the  air 
with  his  howls.  The  blow  was  intended  for  his  head, 
but  the  dog  had  sprung  forward  as  the  steel  bar  came 
down.  The  beast  was  disabled  but  not  killed.  The  dog 
gaining  a  foothold  upon  the  sand,  John  was  obliged  to 
spring  into  the  water  to  escape  his  fangs.  The  brute 
followed,  but  the  disabling  blow  that  he  had  received 
upon  the  shoulders  was  a  serious  detriment  to  his  mo 
tions.  John  was  now  able  to  deal  him  a  blow  upon  the 
hea$,  which  stunned  him.  The  blows  now  fell  upon 
him  thick  and  fast,  the  life  was  beaten  out  of  his  savage 
body,  and  his  carcass  was  washed  ashore  upon  the 
beach.  * 

A  shout  from  the  guards  told  John  that  they  had 
heard  the  howls  of  the  dog,  and  that  they  consequently 
knew  where  the  fugitive  prisoner  was.  But  no  guarci 
seemed  disposed  to  drop  down  from  the  top  of  the  wall, 
doubtless  fearing  they  might  meet  the  evident  fate  of 
the  dog. 

'  John  now  heard  a  boat  putting  out  from  the  landing 
place,  which  was  some  distance  around  the  island ;  and 
as  there  was  no  apparent  succor  for  him,  he  gave  himself 
up  for  lost.  Thud,  thud,  thud,  he  heard  the  vigorous 
working  of  the  oars  in  the  tholes,  sounding  the  knell  of 
his  liberty.  Just  as  the  prow  of  the  hostile  boat  rounded 
the  jutting  portion  of  the  wall  near  by,  he  saw  a  flash  of 
light  on  the  water  in  front  of  him.  Then  he  heard  the 
splashing  of  oars  in  that  direction.  He  could  see  the 
boat  of  the  guards  by  the  light  which  it  earned,  but  that 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  161 

which  he  supposed  was  the  friendly  boat  was  obscured 
by  the  darkness.  Both,  as  nearly  as  he  could  judge  by 
the  sound,  were  about  equally  distant.  The  guard  boat 
was  not  long  in  coming  up,  but  as  John  lay  close  to  the 
sand  against  the  wall,  the  guards  did  not  see  him,  and 
went  by.  As  they  got  a  few  lengths  by,  a  skiff  with  a 
single  oarsman  dashed  in  where  John  lay,  and  in  a 
twinkling  he  was  on  board  the  rescuing  boat.  The 
prow  was  turned  about,  and  they  were  dashing  away  for 
liberty.  The  guards  soon  discovered  this  maneuver  and 
turned  their  boat  in  pursuit.  But  their  heavy  boat  was 
no  match  in  speed  for  the  li£ht  skiff.  Seeing  their  pris 
oner  escaping  them,  they  dropped  their  oars,  and  sent  a 
volley  of  bullets  after  the  fugitive  skiff,  but  without  the 
least  effect.  They  commenced  again  the  pursuit,  firing 
muskets,  and  spreading  the  alarm  as  much  as  possible. 
And  now  a  new  danger  sprang  up  ahead.  A  vessel  lying 
at  anchor  sent  out  a  couple  of  small  boats,  and  thus 
headed  off  the  flying  skiff.  They  were  now  obliged  to 
make  for  the  shore.  They  reached  the  land  where  there 
was  a  boat  lying  near  a  small  clump  of  bushes.  The 
strange  oarsman  urged  John  ashore,  and  then  lifted  the 
light  skiff  from  the  water  as  if  it  had  been  a  feather. 
Placing  the  boat  on  his  shoulder,  he  told  John  to  bring 
the  oars,  and  follow.  They  pushed  forward  in  the 
bushes  along  the  shore.  The  pursuers  soon  came  up, 
and  seeing  a  boat  lie  there,  supposed  that  it  was  the  one 
abandoned  by  the  fugitives,  who  had,  probably,  taken 
to  the  country.  The  guard  accordingly  started  out  in 
pursuit,  some  up  the  shore,  some  down  the  shore,  and 
some  out  into  the  country.  The  fugitives,  after  carrying 
their  skiff  a  short  distance,  again  put  it  into  *he  water, 
and  glided  silently  away.  It  was  not  till  it  was  too  late 
for  further  pursuit  that  the  guards  found  out  how  they 
had  been  fooled. 

The  strange  boatman  having  gotten  clear  of  all  pur 
suit,  plied  his  oars  vigorously,  keeping  on  till  nearly 
break  of  day.  He  then  landed  at  the  foot  of  a  high, 
wooded  bluff.  Taking  the  boat  from  the  water,  he  care 
fully  concealed  it  in  a  little  gully,  thickly  covered  with 
evergreens.  He  then  motioned  John  to  follow  him 
higher  up  the  bluff.  They  soon  reached  a  most  secluded 


162  THE    LEECH    CLUB  |    OK,    THE 

spot — a  gully  surrounded  by  a  thick  growth  of  trees  and 
underbrush,  with  a  spring  of  water  flowing  from  the 
side  of  the  mountain.  As  the  two  voyagers  sat  down, 
they  observed  that  day  was  breaking  in  the  east.  John 
naturally  felt  an  inclination  to  know  something  about 
his  benefactor ;  as  soon  as  he  had  somewhat  regained  his 
composure  he  said : 

"  My  good  and  kind  friend,  to  whom  am  I  indebted  for 
this  happy  liberation  ?  and  how  is  it  that  an  entire 
stranger  should  have  run  such  great  risks  to  render  such 
unspeakable  service  to  one  who  is  no  more  to  him  than 
the  hundreds  whom  he  mee^  every  day  ?" 

"  As  to  who  I  am,  and  what  are  my  motives/'  said 
the  stranger,  "  it  matters  little.  Men  call  me  the  Hermit 
of  the  Catskills.  This  is  all  the  information  I  can  give 
you  at  present." 

At  the  mention  of  that  dread  name,  John  shuddered. 
There  he  sat  alone  in  the  dim  twilight  of  the  morning 
with  that  mysterious  being,  whose  name  had  become  the 
terror  of  the  Catskill  region — not  from  any  harm  that  he 
had  been  known  to  do,  but  for  the  reason  that  there  was  an 
opinion  extant  that  he  was  connected  with  supernatural 
powers.  The  Hermit  observed  John's  evident  awe,  and 
immediately  said : 

"  Whatever  1  am,  you  must  nevertheless  feel  that  I 
am  your  friend,  for  I  could  not  possibly  have  any  object 
but  friendship  in  rescuing  you  from  the  pestiferous 
scoundrels  who  kidnapped  you." 

"  Truly,  most  magnanimous  man,"  said  John,  "  I  would 
be  utterly  unworthy  such  labor  as  yours,  should  I  regard 
you  in  any  other  light  than  a  benefactor." 

"  No,  regard  me  not  so,"  said  the  stranger.  "  There 
is  a  God  above  that  orders  all  our  actions,  and  to  Him 
only,  you  are  indebted  for  all  the  good  you  have.  AV  hat- 
ever  we  do,  is  simply  as  the  instruments  of  an  overruling 
power." 

"  But  tell  me,"  said  John,  "  how  yo,u  knew  of  my  im 
prisonment,  and  how  you  discovered  me  among  a  gang  of 
men,  all  looking  much  alike  in  dress  and  general  appear 
ance  ?  How  could  you  distinguish  me  whom  you  never 
knew,  and  manage  to  drop  me  a  message  in  such  a  mirac 
ulous  manner  ?" 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  163 

"  I  cannot  satisfactorily  answer  all  these  questions.  You 

forget  that  I  might  have  seen  you  a  hundred  times  in  the 

*  Catskills,  and  that  I  might  have  approached  quite  near 

enough  in  a   boat  to  distinguish   you  on    your    island 

prison." 

"  Ah  !  my  dear,  good  friend,  I  will  question  you  no 
more.  For  this  I  have  learned,  first  from  hearsay,  and 
now  by  experience,  that  the  more  one  tries  to  fathom  you, 
the  farther  he  is  drawn  into  mystery." 

"When  the  day  broke,  the  Hermit  proceeded  a  short 
,  distance  up  the  gully,  in  the  side  of  which  he  raised  a 
thin  slab  of  stone,  which  to  all  outward  appearance  had 
been  placed  there  by  the  hand  of  Nature.  A  small  re 
ceptacle  was  revealed,  from  which  he  drew  forth  a  wooden 
box,  well  stored  with  provisions.  It  was  evident  that  he 
had  made  ample  preparations  for  a  base  of  supplies,  as 
well  as  a  line  of  retreat,  before  embarking  in  his  peril 
ous  enterprise.  After  both  had  appeased  their  hunger, 
the  Hermit  took  from  a  compartment  in  the  box,  a  new 
suit  of  clothes,  which  he  told  John  to  exchange  for  his 
prison  garb.  John  proceeded  to  do  this  with  all  satisfac 
tion  and  expedition,  and  was  about  to  pour  forth  anew 
his  gratitude  to  the  stranger,  when  the  countenance  of  the 
latter  told  him  that  further  thanks  would  not  be  relished, 
and  he  desisted.  The  habiliments  of  the  prison  were 
buried  in  a  cavity  in  the  ground,  and  nothing  was  left  to 
indicate  that  an  escaped  prisoner  had  been  in  the  vicinity. 
John  could  now  walk  forth  the  same  as  any  other  citizen 
without  being  questioned. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Hermit,  "  we  can  rest  securely  here 
all  day.  You  need  repose  before  embarking  on  the  jour 
ney  which  is  before  you.  I  would  advise  you  not  to  re 
turn  to  the  Catskills,  for  the  villains  who  planned  your 
imprisonment  are  getting  the  entire  control  of  things 
there.  I  question  whether  any  one  who  stands  in  the 
way  of  their  designs  will  long  be  safe  in  the  neighbor 
hood." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  said  John,  "  that  any  member 
of  the  Leech  Club  had  aught  to  do  with  getting  me  into 
prison  ?" 

"  Without  doubt,  they  did." 

John  began  to  reflect  that  he.  had  been  persuaded  to 


IGi  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

go  to  the  city  by  a  stranger,  who,  now  that  he  thought  of 
it,  was  very  likely  connected  with  the  Club.  The  idea 
rushed  into  his  mind  that  Mr.  Flitaway  might  have 
thought  him  in  the  way  of  his  designs  in  regard  to  Phebe 
Greenwood. 

"  Then,"  said  John,  "  I  shall  return  to  my  native  hills, 
and  see  if  these  vampires  can  practice  their  infernal  voca 
tion  with  the  same  impunity  in  the  country  that  they  do 
in  the  city.  I  guess  our  own  county  courts  will  have 
something  to  say  when  they  try  to  kidnap  men  and  put 
them  out  of  the  way  illegally." 

"  Don't  tempt  your  fate  thus  just  now,"  said  the  Her 
mit.  "  Recollect  that  they  already  have  you  under  the 
conviction  of  their  law.  And  they  have  so  infused  them 
selves  into  all  the  powers  of  the  State  as  to  render  them 
selves  potent  even  in  the  rural  districts.  There  might  be 
some  chance  for  you,  if  you  were  to  be  tried  by  a  jury 
of  your  own  townsmen.  But  they  were  wise  enough  to 
have  you  convicted  by  a  court  which  they  owned.  3s  ow, 
no  trial  is  necessary.  They  have  only  to  capture  you  as 
an  escaped  convict.  If  you  value  your  liberty,  keep  out 
of  their  clutches  till  the  day  of  their  discomfiture  comes. 
It  cannot  be  far  distant,  for  such  a  conclave  of  thieves 
cannot  long  govern  a  great  State." 

"  Indeed,  has  it  come  to  this,"  said  John,  with  a  groan, 
"  that  the  gilded  scum  can  rule  the  State  and  hunt  honest 
men  like,  wild  beasts  from  their  homes  ?  Then  I  propose 
to  repair  to  my  native  valleys  and  try  conclusions  with 
them!  In  twenty-four  hours  I  can  have  together  a  com 
pany  of  riflemen  who  will  chase  those  tinseled  snobs  like 
frightened  foxes  from  the  mountains,  and  topple  their 
castle  down  about  their  ears  !" 

"  Softly,  softly,  young  man.  Don't  you  know  that 
you  would  be  considered  as  a  rebel  against  the  State 
authorities  ?  The  wrong  perpetrated  by  the  Leech  Club 
is  done  under  color  of  the  law,  and  so  long  as  they  have 
all  the  machinery  of  the  law  in  their  own  hands,  open 
resistance  would  be  madness.  Should  you  call  your 
friends  to  your  aid,,  and  get  a  force  which  the  civil 
officers  coula  not  overcome,  a  regiment  of  militia  would  be 
called  out  in  your  own  county  to  quell  the  disturbance. 
You  would  not  only  subject  yourself  to  extreme  punish- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  165 

ment,  but  would  get  your  friends  into  serious  trouble." 

"  You  may  be  right,  but  it  is  passing  strange  that  a 
clan  of  thieves  should  have  such  power. 

"  A  little  strange,  truly,  but  easily  understood  when  you 
take  into  consideration  that  these  thieves  are  at  present 
the  ruling  power  of  the  State.  Take  my  advice  and  de 
part  out  of  this  State  for  the  present.  Obtain  some  hum 
ble  employment  that  will  support  you^nd  enable  you  to 
contribute  something  to  your  mother." 

As  the  shades  of  evening  set  in,  the  Hermit  signified 
to  John  that  it  was  time  to  depart.  He  accompanied  John 
to  the  nearest  highway,  and  gave  him  directions  to  a 
neighboring  village,  where  he  could  embark  on  railroad 
cars.  He  then  handed  John  a  roll  of  paper  and  said : 

"  Here  we  part." 

Before  John  could  seize  the  hand  of  his  benefactor  to 
bid  him  adieu,  he  had  darted  back  into  the  forest.  Un 
folding  the  paper,  John  found  a  roll  of  bank  bills,  amply 
sufficient  for  his  present  wants.  A  feeling  of  oppressive 
sadness  came  over  him  at  parting  thus  with  his  disinter 
ested  friend,  and  he  was  more  than  ever  puzzled  with  the 
mystery  that  surrounded  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills. 
John  had  a  walk  of  about  four  miles  before  reaching  the 
village,  whence  he  soon  departed  on  an  evening  train  of 
cars. 


CHAPTEE  XV. 

HORACE  LACKFATHE'S   OPINIONS   OF  MANKIND   REMAIN  UN 
CHANGED. 


THERE  was  no  such  thing  as  satiating  the  Leech  Club 
either  with  wealth  or  power.  They  reached  out  from  the 
government  of  the  City  to  that  of  the  State,  and  now 
they  were  grasping  at  the  National  Government.  They 
allowed  no  opportunity  to  slip  either  to  increase  their  pe 
cuniary  or  political  aggrandizement.  Thus  Mr.  Sindandy 
had  managed. to  form  an  alliance  with  the  rich  tanner's 


166  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J    OK,    TIIK 

daughter,  Miss  Shoeman  ;  and  Mr.  Flitaway  was  trying 
the  same  enterprise  with  Miss  Greenwood,  with  little 
prospect  of  success,  however.  By  this  means  they  hoped 
to  extend  their  political  as  well  as  their  pecuniary  power. 
Mr.  Swellup  had  married  a  wealthy  widow.  Her  daughter, 
Charity  Faithful,  had  a  large  property  in  her  own  right, 
and  Mr.  Swellup  was  kindly  anxious  to  see  her  married 
to  a  retainer  of  the  Leech  Club.  It  was  natural  that  she 
should  confide  to  Horace  Lackfathe  the  story  of  the  per 
secutions  she  suffered  in  this  respect.  She  could  only  con 
fer  with  him  at  stolen  interviews ;  for  had  her  intimacy 
with  Horace  been  known,  the  latter  would  instantly  have 
been  banished  from  the  castle.  A  combination  of  cir 
cumstances,  of  which  the  arrival  of  Charity  was  the 
chief,  still  kept  Horace  at  the  Club  House,  where  he  had 
the  nominal  position  of  a  teacher,  with  very  little,  however, 
to  do.  One  day,  when  he  had  appointed  a  meeting  with 
Charity  in  the  woods,  he  came  inadvertently  upon  her  in 
conversation  with  Mr.  Swellup,  who  had  met  her  by  ac 
cident,  and  took  that  opportunity  to  press  the  suit  of  his 
friend.  Horace  wras  obliged  to  take  refuge  behind  a  rock, 
to  escape  observation,  and  was  thus  an  involuntary  lis 
tener  to  their  conversation. 

"Well,  Charity,"  said  Mr.  Swellup,  "I  hope  you  have 
by  this  time  concluded  to  marry  Mr.  Sleezy  Silkstock- 
ings.  I  must  have  an  answer  now  !" 

"  I  thought,"  said  Charity  mildly,  "  I  had  given  you 
my  answer  long  ago." 

"  Oh  !  yes,"  said  Mr.  Swellup  in  a  great  passion,  "  you 
said  no,  but  I  will  take  no  such  answer  as  that.  I  must 
have  yes,  and  have  it  now,  or  it  will  be  the  worse  for 
you !" 

"  That  you  can  never  have,"  said  Charity  with  as  much 
passion  as  it  was  in  her  mild  nature  to  throw  into  her 
speech.  "  That  you  never  can  have.  Life  itself  would 
be  worth  nothing  to  me  as  the  wife  of  that  man,  and  I 
will  part  with  life  sooner  than  to  marry  him  !" 

"  Oh !  that  is  all  very  fine.  But  do  you  know,"  hissed 
Mr.  Swellup,  "  that  I  can  place  you  where  your  life  will  be 
a  greater  burden  than  you  conceive  it  would  be  as  the 
wife  of  this  man  whom  you  affect  to  despise  ?  There  is 
a  fearful  cave  in  these  mountains  where  I  can  imprison 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  167 

you ;  where  demons  will  be  your  companions,  and  hid 
eous  noises  and  sights  the  terror  of  your  nights  and  days. 
Come,  I  would  have  your  answer  !" 

Charity  shuddered,  but  immediately  replied  : 

"  Even  that  would  not  make  things  much  worse,  for 
demons  are  my  companions  now.  I  am  at  your  mercy. 
Take  what  advantage  you  choose  of  a  defenseless  wo 
man." 

Mr.  Swellup  strutted  furiously  away,  hissing  vengeance 
like  an  enraged  serpent,  leaving  Charity  clinging  to  a  tree 
for  support.  As  soon  as  her  persecutor  was  out  of  sight, 
Horace  rushed  forth  from  his  hiding  place,  and  clasped 
her  in  his  arms. 

"  Ah  !"  said  he,  "  I  could  hardly  refrain  from  rushing 
forth  and  throttling  that  villain  on  the  spot.  I  know  the 
cave  he  would  imprison  you  in.  The  terrors  of  hell  it 
self  are  no  comparison  to  it.  Fly,  Charity,  fly !  Let 
me  take  you  to  a  place  where  you  will  be  safe  from  the 
designs  of  that  scoundrel !" 

"I  would  gladly  do  so,  Horace,  but  I  must  also  manage 
to  get  my  mother  out  of  the  power  of  these  terrible  peo 
ple.  Should  I  escape  alone,  she  will  be  blamed  for 
instigating  my  flight,  and  there  will  be  no  end  to  the 
persecutions  she  will  suffer.  I  cannot  leave  her." 

"We  will  get  her,  also,  and  depart  this  very  night, 
after  all  are  in  bed." 

"  It  is  not  so  easy  to  get  away  as  you  think  for.  The 
only  trail  which  leads  from  the  castle  is  carefully  guarded. 
It  would  be  impossible  for  a  feeble  woman  like  my 
mother  to  make  her  way  in  the  night  through  the  track 
less  mountains.  We  shall  have  to  try  to  get  away  by 
management,  without  exciting  a  suspicion  that  we  intend 
to  leave  for  good." 

"  But,  they  dare  not  stop  us.  They  have  no  right  to 
block  the  way  of  peaceable  travelers.  I  would  shoot  the 
man  as  a  highway  robber  who  should  presume  to  hinder 
me  from  going  at  large." 

"You  should  know  that  the  Leech  Club  have  no  law 
but  their  own  inclinations.  And  as  for  shooting  those 
who  might  stop  us,  that  would  do  very  well  if  there 
were  only  two  or  three  unarmed  men  in  the  way.  But 
here  the  odds  are  too  greatly  against  us." 


168  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

"  But,  do  you  think,  Charity,  they  would  dare  attempt 
to  hold  us  here  as  prisoners  in  defiance  of  the  laws  of  the 
State?" 

"  Mr.  Swellup  tells  me,"  said  Charity,  "  that  the  laws 
of  the  State  are  all  in  their  own  hands.  He  says  that 
they  control  the  Legislature  and  the  courts,  and  that  they 
can  have  any  decisions  they  please.  I  fear  he  tells  me 
too  truly.  I  fear  that  even  in  the  neighboring  rural 
courts  they  would  manage  to  have  things  all  their  own 
way.  I  believe  they  might  commit  the  greatest  outrages 
right  here,  and  if  complained  of,  they  would  manage  so 
to  mystify  the  courts,  by  their  splendor  and  their  connec 
tion  with  the  high  authorities,  that  any  evidence  that 
could  be  brought  against  them  would  be  disbelieved,  and 
they  would  come  out  with  flying  colors." 

On  reflection,  Horace  could  not  gainsay  this ;  and  he 
began  to  speculate  upon  some  method  of  escaping  accord 
ing  to  Charity's  suggestion,  of  getting  out  of  reacn  of  the 
castle  without  exciting  the  suspicion  that  they  were  go 
ing  for  good.  Charity  departed  for  the  castle,  and  Hor 
ace  sought  counsel  from  his  friend,  Mr.  Graphic.  He 
soon  found  the  latter  seated  in  a  favorite  bower,  and 
informed  him  of  the  new  developments.  After  Mr. 
Graphic  had  heard  the  statement,  he  said  : 

"  I  have  thought  of  a  very  simple  and  feasible  solution 
of  this  difficulty.  Make  arrangements  for  a  clergyman  to 
visit  this  vicinity  without  the  knowledge  of  any  of  the 
Leech  Club.  Tell  the  minister  the  story  in  a  straightfor 
ward  manner.  Get  Charity  Faithful  to  meet  you  out  on 
the  grounds,  with  me  for  a  witness,  and  let  the  clergy 
man  unite  you  and  the  persecuted  lady  in  wedlock.  As 
you  have  been  long  engaged,  there  will  be  no  impropriety 
in  it,  and  from  what  I  have  seen,  I  have  no  doubt  that 
she  will  consent.  There  will  then  no  longer  be  an  op 
portunity  for  Mr.  Swellup  to  keep  up  his  persecution  in 
order  to  compel  her  to  marry  the  man  she  despises  ;  you 
will  then  have  a  husband's  right  to  protect  her  ;  and  there 
will  be  no  great  difficulty  to  get  her  away  from  here. 
Her  mother  can  easily  find  an  excuse  to  visit  the  city, 
and  then  you  will  all  be  free  from  the  grasp  of  these  free 
booters." 

Horace's  head  fairly  swam  with  doubt  and  perplexity 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  1G9 

at  the  recitation  of  this  plan.  Its  feasibility  he  did  not 
doubt,  but  it  involved  something  to  be  done  on  his  part 
that  he  was  far  from  being  prepared  for. 

"  Oh  !  for  heaven's  sake,  talk  no  more  of  that,"  said 
Horace ;  "-it  is  impossible  !" 

"  How  impossible  ?" 

"  My  faith  in  humanity  is  so  depreciated  that  I  could 
not  bring  myself  to  unite  my  destinies  inseparably  with 
any  woman  just  now.  I  would  only  increase  my  own  mis 
ery  by  having  constantly  with  me  a  new  subject  for  doubt ; 
and  could  not  do  justice  to  her  by  placing  in  her  that 
trust  which  a  wife  would  have  a  right  to  expect,  and 
without  which  she  would  be  more  miserable  than  she  is 
in  her  present  situation.  I  cannot  do  her  such  wrong." 

"  But  you  do  not  mean  to  say  that  you  suspect  that 
Charity  has  been  corrupted  by  contact  with  the  Leech 
Club  ?  .Surely  she  has  given  evidence  that  she  abhors 
these  people  as  thoroughly  as  you  do." 

"  No,  I  do  not  say  that  I  suspect  her  of  being  tainted 
in  that  manner.  I  simply  have  not  faith  enough  in  any 
of  the  race  to  marry.  Not  now  ! " 

"  But,  are  you  playing  falsely  with  her  feelings ;  giving 
her  to  understand  that  you  regard  her  with  tenderness, 
while  you  do  not  intend  to  fulfill  your  engagement  with 
her?" 

"  Oh !  no  ;  for  God's  sake  don't  accuse  me  of  that. 
The  engagement  was  made  under  different  circumstances 
— when  I  supposed  she  was  poor  like  myself,  and  while  I 
regarded  everything  as  pure  as  I  now  see  all  things  cor 
rupt.  While  I  cannot  turn  from  and  forsake  her  in  such 
an  extremity  as  this,  I  cannot  do  both  her  and  myself  the 
wrong  of  rushing  headlong  into  the  consummation  of 
vows,  to  which,  while  my  heart  might  respond,  my  head 
and  faith  would  give  the  lie.  But  I  am  not  playing  false 
with  her.  I  love  her  truly  ;  and  if  time  should  suffi 
ciently  blunt  the  keen  doubts  that  now  disturb  me,  and 
her  views  toward  me  should  remain  unchanged,  I  shall  ful 
fill  the  engagement.  Unless  this  change  should  take 
place,  I  would  certainly  do  her  a  greater  injustice  by  giv 
ing  her  a  hand,  and  even  a  heart,  without  faith,  than  to 
leave  her  free,  and  aid  her  by  all  other  means  in  my 
power." 


170  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

"  But  what  do  you  doubt  about  her  ?  What  is  there  to 
doubt?" 

"  No  more,  perhaps,  than  I  should  find  in  any  wo 
man  that  could  be  produced.  You  do  not  fully  compre 
hend  me.  My  faith  in  all  women,  men  and  things  has 
been  so  much  shaken  by  recent  events  that  I  could  not 
bring  myself  up  to  the  issue  of  taking  an  irrevocable  step 
whicn  would  bind  me  to  anything  forever.  I  must  wait 
till  my  sensibilities  become  blunted,  or  till  my  mind 
grows  out  of  this  snarl." 

"  But  are  you  not  doing  Charity  a  wrong  by  keeping 
her  in  the  dark  respecting  your  feelings  ?  Ought  you  to 
allow  her  to  continue  in  the  belief  that  you  still  stand  to 
your  engagement  with  her  ?  Ought  you  not  to  inform 
her  that  she  is  free  from  an  engagement  which  you  are 
not  disposed  to  fulfill  ?" 

"  I  cannot  see  my  way  clear  to  do  that  now.  She  has 
trouble  enough  on  her  hands,  and  I  would  be  a  brute  to 
add  to  it.  She  seems  to  regard,  and  trust  in  me.  She 
knows  that  I  love  her,  and  she  has  no  means  of  knowing 
that  my  faith  and  heart  cannot  go  together  in  scarcely 
anything.  It  would,  perhaps,  be  an  overwhelming  sor 
row,  should  I,  under  present  circumstances,  describe  to 
her  the  state  of  my  mind.  I  must  first  get  her  clear  from 
this  den ;  then,  if  necessary,  I  can  unfold  to  her  my  feel 
ings,  even  if — if  it  breaks  my  own  heart  to  give  her  up." 

"  Only  think,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  how  finely  you 
might  be  situated  if  you  chose.  She  has  ample  wealth, 
and  Mr.  Longterm,  the  Congressman,  informs  me  that 
you  have  every  ability  to  rise  to  the  highest  position 
known  to  your  profession." 

"  I  have,"- said  Horace,  "given  you  some  inkling  of  my 
views  in  that  direction.  For  one  to  rise  in  the  profession 
of  law,  is  to  become  debased  as  to  every  moral  principle." 

"And  Mr.  Longterm  tells  me,"  said  Mr.  Graphic, 
"  that  should  you  pursue  the  practice  of  your  profession, 
you  would  stand  an  excellent  chance  to  rise  in  the  po 
litical  world." 

"  Say  I  might  soon  become  an  eminent  citizen  by  turn 
ing  thief  and  robber,"  said  Horace. 

"  But,  Horace,  your  treatment  of  Charity  Faithful  is 
most  cruel.  While  you  are  engaged,  and  she  has  no  idea 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  171 

but  you  stand  true  to  the  engagement,  you  are  in  doubt 
whether  you  will  ever  consummate  it  or  not.  I  almost 
feel  that  it  is  my  duty  to  enlighten  her  on  the  situation 
of  affairs." 

"  Good  heavens !  Mr.  Graphic,"  said  Horace  with 
wild  vehemence,  "  that  would  be  kind  of  a  friend !  You 
would  add  to  my  already  sufficient  weight  of  sorrows  the 
remorse  of  breaking  the  heart  of  an  unprotected  woman 
in  her  extremity  !  I  am  ready  to  lay  down  my  life  to 
protect  her,  if  necessary  ;  but  why  should  I  hurry  on  .an 
alliance  that  would  be  but  the  consummation  of  a  fraud 
on  my  part.  Is  it  not  with  a  view  not  to  add  to  her 
present  troubles  that  I  do  not  declare  to  her  the  state  of 
my  feelings  ?  And  time  may  soon  wear  away  this  feel 
ing  of  doubt,  and  I  may  be  able  finally  conscientiously 
to  consummate  the  engagement,  and  she  may  never  know 
of  the  cruel  doubts  that  have  racked  my  poor  brain." 

"Ah !"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  I  see  I  have  done  you 
wrong.  But  one  must  study,  ere  he  can  comprehend 
you.  How  faithless,  and  yet  how  trustworthy  !  H6w 
false,  and  yet  how  true  !" 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

A  NEW   MEMBER   OF   THE   LEECH   CLUB   TRIES    HIS    HAND   AT 
THEIR-  GAME. 


MR.  SHOEMAN  bore  the  reputation  among  his  neighbors 
of  a  rather  close-fisted,  though  honest  man.  jfe  was 
striking  out  in  an  entirely  new  line,  when  he  consented 
to  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  with  Mr.  Sindandy,  and 
listened  to  the  golden  tales  of  aggrandizement  that  were 
poured  into  his  ears  by  the  Leech  Club.  It  is  astonish 
ing  that  a  man  of  his  business  tact  did  not  see  through 
the  thin  gauze  which  covered,  or  rather  failed  to  cover, 
the  rascality  of  his  new  friends.  For  a  man  who,  com 
mencing  poor,  had  amassed  a  large  fortune  in  the  tanning 


172  :  ';  :     :  •  '      i:;   OK,    Till-: 

business,  must  have  pOMQHMd  considerable  shrewdness. 
And  as  his  honesty  was  unquestioned,  it  appears  almost 
incomprehensible  that  ho  should  havo  been  wheedled 
into  fraternity  with  men  whose  trade  was  fraud. 

It  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  taking  into  considera 
tion  the  n<i,'r<t<:  of  "Mr.  Sindandy.  Had  any  sort  of 
crime  boon  necessary  to  carry  out  tho  measures  of  the 
Leech  Club,  that  excellent  voting  man  could  have  spoken 
of  it  in  anybody's  parlor  with  the  same  mincing,  matter 
•;;rse  manner  as  he  would  havo  talked  of  a  u'ame  of 
croquet.  And  as  his  friends  all  regarded  him  as  a  model 
of  refinement  and  correct  moral  principles,  those  who 
admitted  him  into  their  houses  soon  bopm  to  hoar  with 
indifference,  and  tinally  with  sympathetic  approval,  his 
relation  of  the  Club's  »H><lits  t>j>(  nun/!:  which,  if  spoken 
l>v  the  most  of  men,  would  have  boon  regarded  as  the 
bluster  of  a  highwayman.  It  is  believed  by  some  who 
reoollert  him,  that  he  could  have  found  means  of  speak 
taff  of  the  Cutting  ttf  a  man's  throat  in  order  the  more 
e\poditiou>ly  to  iret  at  his  purse,  in  such  bland  and  com 
mon-place  tones  that  his  hearer-  would  have  thought  he 
wa>  relating  a  legitimate  and  praiseworthy  proceeding. 
Others  atlirm  that  ho  could  have  made  an  interesting 
story  of  the  robbery  of  a  bank,  and  made  it  appear  as  a 
creditable  and  able  financial  operation.  Thus  it 
must  have  boon  that,  with  constant  association  with  Mr. 
Sindandy,  Mr.  Shooman  had  come  to  regard  as  legiti 
mate,  things  which  he  would  have  considered  as  infa 
mous,  had  they  boon  bluntly  proposed  by  the  most  of 
men. 

It  was  drawinir  toward  the  time  for  placing  the  candi 
dates  in  the  field  for  the  fall  elections.  Though  the 
party  which  he  had  always  been  connected  with,  was  im 
measurably  in  the  minority  in  that  county,  Mr.  Shoe- 
man  was  prevailed  upon  to  take  the  nomination  for  the 
l.e>:i>lature,  at-surcd  by  the  experienced  Leech  Club  that 
he  had  only  to  use  his  money  judiciously  in  order  to  be 
elected.  It  has  been  shown  with  what  sort  of  "  whip 
ping  tho  devil  around  the  stump"  Mr.  Sindandy  was 
aivuMoined  to  educate  Mr.  Shoemau  up  to  the  Leech 
Club's  hii^h  standard  of  morality;  and  they  actually 
per>uaded  him  that  ho  could  accomplish  this  matter  of 


MYSTKKIKS    OK    TUK    CA.TSK.1LLS.  173 

purchasing  his  election  without  violating  either  the 
statutes,  or  the  principles  of  morality.  And  they  also 
clearly  demonstrated  to  him  how,  after  he  had  spent 
large  sums  of  money  to  secure  his  election  to  the  Legis 
lature,  he  might  legitimately  get  it  back  through  the 
perquisites  due  to  that  body. 

Kven  if  Mr.  Shoeman  had  been  troubled  with  no 
compunctions  in  regard  to  bribing  the  voters  of  his 
district  to  elect  him,  the  Leech  Club  were  entirely  too 
shrewd  to  attempt  among  the  honest  rustics  of  the  Cats- 
kill  region  the  same  open  bribery  that  they  were  accus 
tomed  to  in  the  city.  Any  man  who  had  presumed  to 
offer  to  buy  right  out  and  out  one  of  those  sturdy 
mountaineers  would  not  have  escaped  with  a  whole  skin, 
for  he  would  most  probably  have  received  a  sound 
threshing.  The  Leech  Club  had  to  plan  for  Mr.  Shoe- 
man  indirect  means  to  influence  the  vttters,  by  which 
their  friendship  could  be  obtained  without  causing  them 
to  think  they  were  bought. 

Had  Mr.  Shoeman  known  beforehand  the  large 
amount  of  money  he  would  be  compelled  to  expend,  he 
would  never  have  engaged  in  the  enterprise,  even  with 
the  reiterated  assurance  of  the  Leech  Club  that  he 
would  have  abundant  opportunities  to  get  it  all  back 
with  interest.  He  was  told  that  he  would  not  have  to 
expend  more  than  a  thousand,  or  at  most  two  thousand 
dollars.  As  he  was  worth  over  a  million — some  said 
two  millions — this  would  be  no  killing  affair.  Still,  he 
had  grown  up  with  a  methodical  opinion  of  the  value  of 
money,  and  he  did  not  care  to  spend  even  that  compara 
tively  small  sum  without  some  prospect  of  a  return. 

Mr.  Shoeman's  experience  was  much  like  that  of 
other  men  who  have  embarked  in  similar  enterprises. 
II is  first  thousand  dollars  was  gone,  and  scarcely  any  im 
pression  had  been  made  in  his  favor.  Then  the  second 
thousand  was  dissipated  more  swiftly  than  the  mountain 
dew.  Having  invested  two  thousand,  he  did  not  feel 
like  letting  that  go  for  notlnng,  and  the  sum  was 
doubled.  And  like  the  man  who  loses  at  faro,  this  was 
again  doubled ;  and  so  the  doubling  kept  on  till  Mr. 
Shoeman  no  longer  dared  count  his  expenditures.  He 


THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

simply  went  it  blind,  suffering  himself  to  be  bled  like  a 
helpless  calf  in  the  slaughter-pen. 

And  how  was  the  money  spent  ?  It  would  be  hard  to 
give  an  account  of  it.  The  Leech  Club  did  not  appear 
openly  in  the  matter.  They  employed  a  shrewd  lawyer 
of  the  neighborhood  as  manager.  He  did  not  bribe  any 
one.  Oh!  no.  He  knew  better  than  that.  He  had 
frequent  occasions  to  meet  the  countrymen  of  the  dis 
trict,  in  regard  to  various  matters.  Conversations  be 
tween  the  lawyer  and  countrymen  were  overheard,  which 
show  how  the  matter  was  managed. 

"  AVell,  Mr.  Jones,"  'said  the  lawyer,  "  how's  politics 
in  your  neighborhood  ?  Suppose  you'll  vote  for  Shoe- 
man?  By  the  way,  here  are  some  documents  I  want 
you  to  take  along  and  distribute  among  your  neighbors. 
They  contain  some  statistics  on  the  manufacture  of  leather, 
which  you  know  is  a  great  interest  in  these  parts.  The 
trouble  is  that  bark  is  getting  scarce,  and  unless  something 
is  done  to  keep  up  the  supply,  the  tanneries  will  have  to 
stop,  and  hundreds  of  men  will  be  thrown  out  of  em 
ployment.  If  Mr.  Shoeman  is  elected,  he  is  going  to  in 
troduce  a  bill  to  have  the  cleared  mountain  sides  replanted 
with  hemlock.  Here's  twenty  dollars  to  pay  you  for  the 
trouble  of  distributing  the  documents." 

"  But,"  said  the  countryman,  "  my  politics  are  different 
from  Mr.  Shoeman's,  and  as  we  have  a  first-rate  man  on 
our  ticket,  I  must  vote  for  him.  I  like  Shoeman  very 
well  as  a  man,  but  we  don't  agree  in  politics." 

"  Every  man,  Mr.  Jones,  must  look  a  little  after  his 
bread  and  butter.  If  the  tanning  interest  goes  down, 
this  section  of  country  is  used  up.  But  whether  you  vote 
for  Shoeman  or  not,  it  won't  hurt  you  nor  your  neigh 
bors  to  read  these  documents ;  and  as  Mr.  Shoeman  is 
anxious  that  the  case  shall  be  fairly  understood,  he  has 
authorized  me  to  see  that  they  are  distributed,  and  to  pay 
any  man  of  whatever  politics  for  the  trouble  of  carrying 
them  around.  He  will  consider  it  a  favor  for  you  to 
distribute  them,  whether  you  vote  for  him  or  not,  and 
this  twenty-dollar  bill,  I  hope,  will  pay  you  for  the 
trouble." 

Here  the  lawyer  thrusts  the  bill  into  Mr.  Jones'  hand, 
and,  hastily  excusing  himself  to  see  another  client  in  the 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  175 

back  office,  wishes  Mr.  Jones  good-day,  and  retreats  into 
the  other  room.  Jones  remains  fixed  to  the  spot,  look 
ing  at  the  bill,  in  doubt  whether  he  ought  to  take  it,  as 
he  feels  sure  he  cannot  vote  for  Mr.  Shoeman.  He  knocks 
at  the  door  of  the  back  office,  to  return  the  bill,  but  the 
lawyer  is  holding  a  private  conversation,  and  cannot  an 
swer  the  summons.  He  does  not  want  to  leave  the  bill 
in  the  front  office,  where  some  one  might  pick  it  up ;  so 
he  takes  the  bill  and  the  documents,  and  departs  for  home, 
determined  to  return  the  money  the  next  time  he  comes 
to  the  village. 

As  he  passes  the  stores  on  Main  street,  he  recollects 
that  his  wife  requested  him  to  get  several  articles,  if  he 
should  have  the  money  to  spare  after  disposing  of  his 
load  of  bark.  But  the  proceeds  were  entirely  used  up  in 
paying  several  old  grocery  bills  that  had  been  standing 
since  spring.  He  thinks  of  the  twenty-dollar  bill,  and 
concludes  that  he  will  use  it,  and  make  it  good  with  the 
next  load  of  bark.  The  documents  he  takes  home,  and 
distributes  them,  and  naturally  has  a  friendly  feeling 
for  Mr.  Shoeman,  though  he  has  not  yet  made  up  his 
mind  to  vote  for  him.  The  documents  contain  little  of 
sound  argument ;  though  Mr.  Jones  thinks  the  idea  of 
keeping  up  the  supply  of  hemlock  bark  a  good  one.  The 
thought  does  not  happen  to  occur  to  him  that  he  and  his 
children  will  be  in  their  graves  long  before  the  proposed 
newly-planted  hemlock  trees  would  be  large  enough  for 
peeling.  In  fact,  the  pockets  of  the  tax-payers  were  in  a 
much  fairer  way  of  being  peeled  by  Mr,  Shoeman's  sys 
tem  of  politics  than  were  any  trees  that  he  would  be  the 
means  of  planting. 

"When  the  lawyer  left  Mr.  Jones,  and  retired  into  his 
back  office,  he  there  met  Mr.  Brown,  a  neighbor  of  Jones. 
Now,  he  wanted  to  "  fix "  Brown  also,  but  it  must  be 
done  in  a  different  way. 

"  Ah !  Brown,"  said  he,  "  I  have  just  seen  your 
neighbor  Jones,  and  have  been  talking  politics  with  him. 
He  is  going  to  vote  for  Shoeman." 

"  Why,  I  can't  see  how  that  is,"  said  Brown.  "  Jones 
is  just  as  much  opposed  to  Shoeman  in  politics  as  I  am. 
I  think  you  must  have  misunderstood  him  some  way." 

"  No ;  he's  got  some  documents  that  put  a  new  light 


176  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

on  the  matter.  He'll  most  likely  give  you  one,  and  I 
think  when  you've  read  it,  you'll  decide  to  vote  for  Shoe- 
man,  too." 

"  I  guess  not,"  was  the  reply. 

"  By  the  way,  Brown,"  continued  the  lawyer,  "  Shoe- 
man's  party  want  to  raise  a  pole  at  the  cross-roads  near 
where  you  live.  Now,  I  don't  happen  to  know  any  of 
his  own  party  up  there,  and  whoever  does  it,  we  expect 
to  pay.  As  you're  a  friend  of  mine — I  don't  care  any 
thing  about  your  politics — I'd  just  as  lief  give  you  the 
job  as  any  one.  I  suppose  you  wouldn't  have  much  diffi 
culty  in  finding  a  suitable  pole  for  the  purpose  on  your 
wood-lot." 

"  I  think  I  could  accommodate  him  to  that,"  said 
Brown.  "  I'd  as  soon  sell  him  a  stick  of  timber  as  any 
body,  and  I'll  put  it  up  for  him,  too,  for  a  fair  price." 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  lawyer.  "  You'll  want  a  con 
siderable  force  to  raise  the  pole.  Here's  a  hundred  dol 
lars.  Will  that  pay  expenses  ?" 

"  That's  too  much,"  said  Brown. 

" Well,  take  it  along.  You  may  need  it  all;  and  if 
you  don't,  you  can  return  it  to  me  the  next  time  you  are 
in  the  village.  It  is  from  Mr.  Shoeman.  I  have  nothing 
smaller  than  this  hundred  dollar  bill  by  me."  And  he 
thrust  the  bill  into  Brown's  hand  and  bid  him  good-day. 
As  Brown  was  driving  by  the  liquor  store,  his  team  was 
stopped,  and  a  cask  of  beer  was  put  into  his  wagon  to 
treat  the  "  boys"  who  should  assist  at  the  pole-raising. 

Brown  got  the  hundred-dollar  bill  changed  before  leav 
ing  the  village,  intending  to  give  part  of  it  back  to  the 
lawyer,  but  the  latter  kept  out  of  sight.  Brown  had, 
however,  no  trouble  in  disposing  of  the  money.  Having 
seven  or  eight  young  fellows  to  assist  him  at  the  pole- 
raising,  they  got  quite  merry  over  the  beer.  Of  course 
Brown  had  to  tell  them  that  he  put  up  a  pole  for  the  op 
posite  party  merely  as  a  matter  of  business,  the  same  as 
he  would  sell  a  man  a  load  of  hoop-poles.  He  stated  the 
sum  that  had  been  given  him,  saying  that  he  intended  to 
return  a  part  of  it.  But  the  young  men,  in  the  exuber 
ance  of  spirits  superinduced  by  the  beer,  demanded  ten 
dollars  apiece  for  their  labor.  Mr.  Brown  found  himself 
in  a  tight  place,  liable  to  be  tossed  in  a  blanket,  or  be 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  177 

treated  to  some  other  species  of  "  hazing,"  and  he  con 
cluded  to  comply  with  the  request.  He  then  had  no  more 
left  than  a  fair  price  for  his  own  labor. 

Draining  the  last  pint  from  the  beer-cask,  the  young- 
men,  with  three  rousing  cheers  for  the  generous  Mr. 
Shoeman,  dispersed. 

The  next  week,  the  lawyer  met  Jones  again,  he  having 
come  to  the  village  with-another  load  of  bark. 

"  Halloo !  Jones,"  said  the  lawyer,  "  you're  just  the 
man  I  want  to  see.  Mr.  Shoeman  has  authorized  me  to 
buy  all  the  bark  I  can  get  at  an  advance  of  twenty-five 
per  cent,  on  old  prices.  Mr.  Shoeman  feels  confident 
that,  if  he  can  get  the  bill  passed  that  he  has  in  view, 
there  will  be  an  advance  in  the  price  of  leather,  and  he 
thinks  of  building  two  or  three  new  tanneries.  So  you 
see,  he's  willing  to  give  you  bark-producers  the  benefit  of 
the  prospective  advance.  And  he  wants  to  get  all  the 
bark  he  can  on  hand,  in  view  of  what  he  considers  a  cer 
tain  enhancement  of  the  leather  interests.  For,  between 
you  and  me,  Shoeman  is  going  to  be  elected.  The  inter 
ests  of  this  section  demand  it,  and  people  are  bound  to 
consult  their  interests.  Now  drive  down  this  way  with 
that  bark,  and  I'll  show  you  where  to  unload  it." 

As  Mr.  Jones  had  not  disposed  of  his  bark,  he  very 
naturally  sold  it  to  the  man  who  oifered  him  the  best 
price.  He  thought  he  now  had  a  good  opportunity  to  re 
fund  the  twenty  dollars  which  the  lawyer  had  given  him 
a  day  or  two  before.  After  the  bark  was  unloaded,  the 
lawyer  said : 

"  Now,  I  want  you  to  bring  us  all  the  bark  you  have, 
at  the  same  price.  And  tell  your  neighbors  where  they 
can  find  a  good  market.  Here's  your  money  for  this 
load." 

The  lawyer  thrust  the  money  into  Jones's  hand,  and 
then,  hallooing  to  some  one  across  the  street,  whom  he 
pretended  he  wanted  to  speak  to,  ran  off  in  such  a  hurry 
that  Jones  had  not  time  to  utter  a  word.  He  had  either 
to  keep  the  money,  or  drop  it  in  the  street.  He  was  not 
very  likely  to  do  the  latter.  The  fact  was  that  this  was 
the  last  load  of  bark  which  Jones  had  ready  for  market, 
and  he  greatly  needed  the  money  to  buy  necessaries  for  his 

8* 


178  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

family.  The  consequence  was  that  this  sum  was  also 
spent  before  he  left  the  village. 

It  soon  became  noised  about  the  country  that  Mr.  Shoe- 
man  was  paying  twenty-five  per  cent,  more  than  any  one 
else  for  bark,  and  every  one  in  that  section  who  had  a 
load  to  dispose  of,  took  it  to  some  one  of  his  tanneries. 
The  countrymen  were  al\vays  waited  upon  by  some  volu 
ble  individual  like  the  lawyer  referred  to, who  plied  them 
with  a  recital  of  the  great  things  which  Mr.  Shoeman  was 
going  to  do  for  the  tannery  interests. 

But  Mr.  Shoeman's  opponent  was  a  much  more  popu 
lar  man  than  he,  and  had  the  advantage  of  belonging  to 
the  party  largely  in  the  majority.  The  opposing  candi 
date  was  as  active  as  the  friends  of  his  competitor,  though 
not  in  the  reckless  and  lavish  expenditure  of  money.  And 
notwithstanding  the  unprecedented  outlay,  Mr.  Shoe- 
man's  chances  of  election  appeared  slim.  He  had  already 
expended  a  respectable  fortune,  and  it  verily  appeared  that 
this  would  all  be  thrown  away,  and  he  have  the  chagrin 
of  defeat  added  to  that  attendant  upon  the  loss  of  his 
money.  This  would  never  do.  If  he  could  not  sweep 
his  opponent  away  with  a  little  freshet  of  lucre,  he  must 
do  it  with  a  flood.  His  courage  would  have  failed  only 
for  the  fact  that  the  Leech  Club  assured  him  he  should 
have  it  all  back. 

Every  man  with  whom  Mr.  Shoeman's  agents  came  in 
contact,  received  some  solid  favor  in  money,  if  there  was 
any  excuse  whatever  to  give  it  to  him,  without  making 
him  suspect  that  there  was  a  desire  to  bribe  him.  There 
was  generally  some  little  nominal  job  that  he  was  wanted 
to  do,  payment  for  which  was  forced  upon  him  many 
fold  the  market  value  of  the  labor  required.  And  this 
sort  of  insidious  electioneering  began  to  tell  even  among 
the  sturdy,  independent  mountaineers.  They  were  but 
men,  and  as  favors  were  heaped  upon  them,  they  began 
to  have  a  friendly  leaning  toward  Mr.  Shoeman,  who 
scattered  his  favors  indiscriminately  among  friends  and 
foes,  without  exacting  any  promises  of  support  from  any 
oue,  or  conveying  the  remotest  hint  of  a  bribe.  The  idea 
was  generally  circulated  that  he  had  only  been  prevailed 
upon  to  accept  the  nomination  in  view  of  the  great 
things  which  he  could  probably  do  for  the  tanning  in- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  179 

terest,  which  was  a  leading  industry  in  his  section  of 
country.  This  also  had  considerable  weight  with  the 
electors,  for  many  people  did  not  stop  to  consider  the 
absurdity  of  the  proposition  that  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislature  could  very  materially  aid  a  local  manufactur 
ing  interest. 

As  has  been  intimated,  with  all  the  immense  effort 
that  had  been  made,  Mr.  Shoeman's  election  was  any 
thing  but  certain.  As  election  day  drew  near,  he  liter 
ally  trembled  at  the  prospect  of  defeat.  He  would 
have  cared  little  for  this,  had  he  not  invested  so  much 
money  in  the  result.  Like  many  other  staid  citizens 
who  have  been  induced  to  engage  in  gambling  opera 
tions,  he  increased  his  stakes,  hoping  to  get  back  what  he 
had  lost. 

His  agents  commenced  a  sort  of  canvassing,  to  see 
how  the  voters  felt.  Men  were  cautiously  sounded  as 
to  whether  they  would  vote  for  Mr.  Shoeman.  The 
probable  status  of  the  voters  throughout  the  district 
was  thus  carefully  noted  down,  so  that  an  intelligent 
conclusion  could  be  arrived  at.  While  many  of  his  po 
litical  opponents  who  had  been  the  recipients  of  his  in 
sidious  favors,  signified  their  intention  of  voting  for  him, 
there  still  appeared  to  be  a  considerable  majority  against 
him  in  the  district.  He  was  almost  distracted  at  the 
prospect  of  throwing  so  much  money  to  the  winds.  He 
dared  not  tell  his  wife  of  the  state  of  things. 

But  still  he  did  not  give  up  the  battle.  He  had 
recourse  to  Leech  Club  advisors,  and  their  prolific 
brains  devised  new  means  to  accomplish  his  success. 
Where  money  had  before  been  planted  only  in  hills,  it 
must  now  be  sown  broadcast.  Men  who  were  known  to 
have  made  up  their  minds  not  to  vote  for  Mr.  Shoeman, 
must  be  managed  in  another  way,  so  that  at  least  their 
votes  would  not  tell  for  the  other  candidate.  A  method 
of  doing  this  was  soon  contrived.  It  was  soon  given  out 
that  Mr.  Shoeman,  in  view  of  the  large  increase  of  the 
tanning  business  which  he  hoped  to  effect,  was  about  to 
erect  three  new  tanneries  in  another  county.  For  the 
erection  of  these,  the  building  of  the  dams,  etc.,  he 
wanted  three  or  four  hundred  men,  at  high  wages.  In 
engaging  these  men,  those  were  generally  selected  who 


180  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

were  certain  to  vote  against  Mr.  Shoeman.  Only  enough 
of  his  political  friends  were  chosen  to  lull  suspicion. 
And  his  generosity  was  frequently  praised  for  employing 
so  many  of  his  known  political  opponents.  He  thus  got 
out  of  the  way  several  hundred  voters,  whose  ballots 
would  otherwise  have  been  cast  against  him,  and  his  man 
agers  would  be  sure  to  fix  it  so  that  these  men  would  not 
be  on  hand  to  vote  on  election  day.  This  last  stroke, 
his  managers  considered  as  a  clincher,  insuring  his  elec 
tion,  but  it  was  at  a  fearful  expense.  This  climax  of 
pipe-laying  was  perfected  only  a  couple  of  weeks  before 
election,  and  still  all  the  other  jets  of  corruption  were 
kept  open,  in  full  play,  spouting  forth  increasing  streams 
of  Mr.  Shoeman's  hard-earned  dollars.  The  men  who 
had  been  partially  won  by  substantial  favors,  must  be 
plied  anew  with  the  lethean  draught  of  lucre.  To  slack 
up  the  supply  now  would  be  like  attracting  a  school  of 
fishes  into  a  pool  by  tempting  bait,  and  then  throwing 
them  the  bare  hook.  Not  only  must  the  supply  of  de 
licious  feed  be  kept  up  in  the  pool,  but  when  the  hook  is 
finally  thrown,  it  must  be  most  generously  baited. 

At  last  the  day  of  election  came.  Mr.  Shoeman  had 
become  so  nervous  and  dejected  that  he  did  not  go  to 
the  polls  at  all.  His  managers,  however,  were  on  the 
alert.  It  was  not  their  money  that  was  being  thus  scat 
tered  to  the  winds,  and  they  did  not  share  their  princi 
pal's  anxiety.  Like  generals  of  an  army  who  had  fed 
and  drilled  their  troops  for  a  final  decisive  battle,  they 
made  sure  of  "ample  supplies  for  the  last  grand  melee. 
Every  poll  in  the  district  swarmed  with  men  whose 
pockets  were  filled  with  Mr.  Shoeman's  money.  But 
none  of  these  men  thought  themselves  bribed.  They 
had  only  been  paid  a  good  price  for  their  day's  work  to 
peddle  tickets,  and  look  out  for  Mr.  Shoeman's  interests 
around  the  polls.  Every  man,  of  whatever  politics,  who 
could  be  induced  to  accept  a  high  price — several  times 
the  actual  value  of  a  day's  work — to  peddle  tickets  for  Mr. 
Shoeman,  was  hired  to  do  so.  Of  course  these  ticket- 
distributors  would  not  think  of  voting  against  Mr. 
Shoeman  themselves,  and  thus  they  were  bought  without 
being  aware  of  it — without  ever  having  it  intimated  to 
them  that  there  was  a  purpose  to  purchase  their  votes. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  181 

It  was  a  day  of  strife  around  the  polls.  The  friends 
of  the  opposing  candidate  began  to  see  how  matters 
stood,  and  were  loud  in  their  denunciations  of  Mr.  Shoe- 
man  for  bribery.  But  when  asked  to  point  out  any  man 
who  had  been  bribed,  they  could  not  do  it.  They  could 
not  show  that  any  man  had  been  offered  money  with 
the  proviso  that  he  should  vote  for  Mr.  Shoeman.  It 
might  be  shown  that  certain  men  had  received'  Mr. 
Shoeman's  money,  but  when  such  a  man  was  pointed 
out,  he  was  ready  to  affirm  under  oath  that  there  was  no 
expressed  or  implied  understanding  that  he  should  vote 
for  Mr.  Shoeman.  He  had  told  no  one  which  candidate 
he  would  vote  for,  and  was  perfectly  free  to  do  as  he 
pleased.  And  this  was  true.  But  very  few,  if  any, 
who  had  thus  accepted  Mr.  Shoeman's  money,  voted 
against  him,  and  while  their  consciences  were  doubtless 
easy  on  the  subject,  they  were  just  as  much  .  bribed  as 
though  there  had  been  an  express  understanding. 

At  sunset  the  polls  closed,  and  amid  great  anxiety  the 
counting  of  the  votes  commenced.  A  circle  of  excited 
spectators  gathered  around  the  table  where  the  canvass 
ers  were  engaged,  watching  each  ballot  as  it  was  unfolded, 
as  if  it  were  some  one's  death  warrant.  It  was  not  till 
the  next  day  that  all  the  polls  were  heard  from,  and  the 
result  known.  It  then  appeared  that  Mr.  Shoeman  was 
elected,  but  only  by  a  moderate  majority.  However  the 
fact  may  be  deprecated  that  it  was  in  the  power  of 
money  to  bring  about  a  result  contrary  to  the  unbiased 
sentiment  of  the  people,  there  is  a  congratulatory 
thought  that  this  rural  district  was  not  entirely  bought 
up  by  the  large  amount  of  money  used ;  and  that  the 
buying  was  accomplished  by  indirections.  The  result 
showed  that  the  voters  of  the  Catskill  regions  were  more 
independent  and  conscientious  than  the  electors  in  many 
other  localities  ;  for  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  were 
not  all  proof  against  such  a  reckless  expenditure  of 
money.  The  Leech  Club  would  not  have  taken  the 
trouble  to  manage  the  matter  so  adroitly  in  the  city 
where  they  had.  their  headquarters.  There,  and  in  many 
other  places — be  it  said  to  the  shame  of  freemen  who 
make  barter  of  their  ballots — the  voters  were  bribed 
openly,  expressly,  with  a  distinct  understanding  that 


182  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

they  were  to  vote  for  such  and  such  candidates  for  a 
stipulated  sum  of  money.  And  the  sum  which  was 
covertly  given  by  the  agents  of  Mr.  Shoeman  to  single 
persons  for  some  nominal  service,  with  the  mere  hope 
that  such  might  thus  be  won  to  vote  for  their  candidate, 
would  have  served  to  buy  right  out  and  out  several 
voters  in  many  localities  which  made  much  greater  pre 
tensions  to  refinement  and  culture  than  the  Catskill 
regions.  The  amount  of  money  spent  by  Mr.  Shoeman 
was  almost  unprecedented,  and  with  this  he  barely  ac 
complished  his  election. 

As  the  victorious  general  surveys  the  closely  contested 
battle  field,  viewing  his  own  dismounted  guns,  disabled 
caissons,  and  decimated  legions,  debating  in  his  own 
mind  whether  there  is  really  any  difference  between 
such  a  victory  and  a  defeat,  so  Mr.  Shoeman  came 
forth  to  glance  around  among  the  debris  of  the  conflict. 
Ten  ordinary  defeats  would  be  immeasurably  less 
disastrous  than  this  victory.  The  insidious  operations  of 
his  agents  with  money,  which  had  not  attracted  much 
attention  during  the  canvass,  were  just  beginning  to  be 
fully  comprehended,  and  were  dawning  upon  the  people 
as  acts  of  infamy.  Mr.  Shoeman' s.  reputation  was  gone. 
Those  who  had  accepted  his  money,  persuading  them 
selves  that  they  did  not  take  it  as  bribes,  began  to  see  in 
what  light  their  transactions  were  viewed  by  the  com 
munity  when  the  matter  became  entirely  understood, 
and  the  blush  of  shame  mantled  upon  many  a  cheek. 
The  word,  " bribery,"  "bribery,"  rang  in  their  ears, 
and  they  began  to  ask  themselves  if  it  were  possible  that 
they  had  been  bribed  ! 

Mr.  Shoeman  had,  without  malice  prepense,  embarked 
upon  a  most  disreputable  and  dangerous  field  of  action, 
from  which  he  could  not,  or  at  least  was  not  likely  to 
recede.  When  his  accounts  were  balanced,  he  found 
that  he  had  expended  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
The  work  on  the  three  tanneries,  the  erection  of  which 
he  had  commenced  in  another  county,  was  discontinued 
about  two  weeks  after  election,  the  excuse  being  that  he 
could  go  no  further  with  the  work  until  he  obtained  the 
legislation  that  he  desired.  All  the  money  expended  on 
these  enterprises  was  most  probably  a  dead  loss.  And 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  183 

the  Leech  Club  had  promised  Mr.  Shoeman  that,  what 
ever  sum  he  might  expend  for  election  purposes,  should 
be  made  up  to  him,  legitimately,  from  the  public  treasury. 
So  having  cast  his  lot  in  with  these  people,  and  expended 
so  large  an  amount  of  money  after  their  fashion,  he 
will  be  most  likely  to  try  to  get  it  back  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  Leech  Club  enrich  themselves.  Having 
taken  his  lessons  of  them  as  to  the  manner  of  getting 
into  official  position,  it  will  not  be  very  surprising  if  he 
follows  their  instructions  in  regard  to  making  the  most 
he  can  out  of  his  office.  Henceforth  he  is  to  be  known, 
not  as  the  straightforward,  economical  business  man,  but 
the  unscrupulous  member  of  the  Leech  Club,  planning 
ways  to  get  from  the  tax-payers  that  which  he  uses  in 
wholesale  corruption  of  the  ballot-box.  However  repug 
nant  this  may  be  to  his  better  judgment,  he  has  'cast  the 
die,  he  has  squandered  such  an  immense  sum  of  money 
that  he  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  letting  it  go  for  naught ; 
and  he  sees  no  way  to  indemnify  himself  but  to  con 
tinue  in  the  course  marked  out  for  him  by  the  Leech 
Club. 

In  this  chapter,  events  have  Ijeen  related,  a  little  in  ad 
vance  of  other  portions  of  the  tale. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

PHEBE   GREENWOOD   HAS    A   MIDNIGHT   CALL. 


The  stories  of  supernatural  manifestations  had  been 
extensively  circulated  in  the  Catskill  region,  and  though 
the  people  were  not  superstitious,  these  tales  had  made 
considerable  impression.  When  Phebe  Greenwood  heard 
a  tap  at  her  bedroom  window  at  midnight,  and  on  awak 
ening,  heard  her  name  whispered  without,  very  naturally 
a  thrill  of  terror  ran  through  her  frame.  She  at  first  ut 
tered  a  slight  scream;  when  the  window  was  raised,  and  a 
head  was  thrust  in,  and  some  words  spoken.  Strange  to 


184:  THE   LEECH    CLUB  I   OR,  THE 

> 

say,  this  remarkable  and  unseasonable  visitation  did  not 
cause  her  to  faint.  Nor  did  she  scream  again.  The  head 
withdrew,  and  the  window  was  lowered.  Phebe  then 
arose  from  her  bed,  and  dressed,  as  well  as  she  could  in 
the  dark.  But  she  did  not  then  seek  to  alarm  the  family, 
as  if  the  house  had  been  visited  by  a  goblin  or  a  burglar. 
Nay,  she  raised  the  window,  her  room  being  on  the 
ground  floor,  and  essayed  to  climb  out  into  the  dark  night. 
She  was  assisted  by  a  pair  of  arms  without,  and  had  no 
great  difficulty  in  making  her  exit. 

Supported  by  the  encircling  arm  of  a  dark  figure,  she 
walked  away  a  short  distance  to  the  cover  of  some 
trees.  Here  the  two  sat  down  and  conversed  in  a  low 
tone. 

"  Oh !  John,"  said  she,  "  how  did  you  escape  from  that 
terrible  place  ?" 

John  Woodman,  for  it  was  he,  related  to  her  the  cir 
cumstances  of  his  receiving  the  strange  message,  and  of 
his  escape  through  the  aid  of  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills. 
He  also  told  her  the  story  of  his  incarceration,  and  of  the 
intimations  he  had  received  from  the  Hermit  that  he  had 
been  the  victim  of  a  conspiracy  gotten  up  by  the  Leech 
Club. 

"  Indeed,  John,"  said  she,  "  this  is  wonderful.  I  have 
heard  a  good  deal  about  that  Hermit  of  the  Catskills. 
People  say  he  has  dealings  with  the  Evil  One.  But  I 
shall  never  believe  any  such  thing  as  that  about  him  any 
more,  since  he  has  done  such  a  kind  thing  for  you.  And, 
John,  I  never  believed  you  guilty.  I  always  said  it  was 
some  contrivance  of  the  Leech  Club  to  get  you  out  of  the 
way,  just  as  the  Hermit  says." 

"How  is  my  mother,  Phebe  ?" 

"  Oh !  John,  I  am  sorry  to  say  she  is  very  ill.  Your 
imprisonment  has  worried  her  so  that  she  has  been  taken 
down  to  her  bed." 

"  I  must  see  her  this  very  night." 

"  Oh !  pray,  John,  don't  do  it.  There  have  been  re 
ports  around  here  that  you  have  escaped,  and  that  the 
Leech  Club,  thinking  you  would  come  home,  have  men 
secretly  watching  near  your  mother's  dwelling.  I  believe 
this  is  so,  for  last  night  Mrs.  Smith,  who  was  staying  with 
your  mother,  thought  she  saw  two  men  dodging  among 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  185 

the  trees.  I  assure  you,  John,  your  mother  shall  be  well 
cared  for,  and  I  will  go  myself  to-morrow  and  tell  her 
that  you  have  escaped,  and  that  you  are  innocent.  I  am 
sure  that  will  make  her  well.  But  I  beg  you,  John, 
don't  run  into  the  clutches  of  tjiat  terrible  Leech  Club." 

"  Phebe,  I  must  go ;  but  don't  fear.  If  they  have  men 
watching,  they  would  hardly  watch  all  night.  And  even 
if  they  do,  I  should  see  them,  and  escape.  I  am  so  well 
acquainted  with  the  mountains  around  that  I  would  soon 
get  out  of  their  way." 

"  Well,  John,  I  don't  know  that  I  ought  to  try  to  per 
suade  you  from  seeing  your  poor  mother.  It  would  be  a 
great  comfort  to  her.  Only,  John,  do  be  careful." 

"  Now,  Phebe,  I  must  bid  you  good  night.  It  is  hard 
that  one  who  has  committed  no  crime,  and  who  has  a 
sick,  widowed  mother,  should  be  compelled  to  hide  in  his 
own  native  hills.  But  a  day  of  retribution  will  come.  It 
makes  me  strong,  Phebe,  to  know  that  you  have  faith  in 
my  innocence.  This  thought  will  bear  me  up  to  noble 
deeds,  and  unless  the  fates  have  decreed  otherwise,  I  shall 
make  myself  worthy  of  you." 

"I  know  you  will,  John.  Only  the  other  night  I 
dreamed  that  you  were  a  judge,  holding  court,  sitting  in 
judgment  upon  some  members. of  the  Leech  Club ;  while 
they  looked  like  poor  frightened  dogs  that  had  been  caught 
killing  sheep." 

"  Thank  you  for  those  words,  Phebe.  They  have  en 
tered  my  soul  as  an  inspiration  and  a  prophecy.  I  can 
not  tell  you  how  it  is,  but  faith  has  entered  my  mind  like 
a  flash,  that  I  shall  live  to  see  your  dream  fulfilled. 
Good  night,  my  dear,  faithful,  noble  girl.  You  are 
worthy  of  the  noblest  in  the  land." 

"  Wait  one  minute,  John — "  and  she  went  back  to  the 
house,  entered  her  room  by  the  window,  and  soon  re 
turned,  and  handing  John  a  billet,  said ': 

"  Read  this  to-morrow,  John.  It  may  be  a  comfort  to 
you." 

John  placed  the  missive  in  his  pocket,  and  then  with 
an  embrace,  they  parted. 

John  Woodman  walked  away,  not  as  a  proscribed  crim 
inal  who  might  at  any  time  be  captured,  and  returned  to 
prison.  He  walked  away  as  one  who  was  marching  to  the 


186  THE   LEECH    CLUB  |    OK,    THK 

shrine  of  Minerva,  to  receive  from  her  hands  a  chaplet 
of  fame.  How  rich  one  may  be  in  hope,  while  worse 
than  poor  pecuniarily.  John  Woodman  towered  up  in 
the  gloom  of  night,  as  if  he  had  just  fallen  heir  to  a 
kingdom.  It  mattered  not  that  he  had  yet  all  his  antici 
pated  fame  and  fortune  to  win  ;  that  he  had  lately  been 
subject  to  a  great  humiliation  ;  that  he  even  had  to  hide 
from  the  world  in  which  his  fame  was  ultimately  to  be 
achieved  ;  still  he  felt  as  proud  in  the  contemplation  of 
what  he  expected  to  be  as  if  he  had  already  accomplished 
the  anticipated  greatness.  The  words  of  faith  and  en 
couragement  spoken  to  him  by  Phebe  Greenwood  had 
lifted  him  from  the  slough  of  despair  to  the  beatitude  of 
hope.  Her  declaration  that  she  regarded  him  beyond  all 
question  as  innocent  of  any  crime  was  the  same  as  if  all 
the  world  had  given  him  this  assurance.  So  much  may  a 
true  woman  do  to  spur  men  on  to  noble  aspirations. 

John  pursued  his  solitary  way  to  the  house  of  his 
mother,  a  couple  of  miles  distant.  Drawing  near  to  the 
dwelling,  he  saw  a  light,  showing  that  some  one  was  car 
ing  for  the  sick.  He  knocked,  and  a  woman  came  to  the 
door.  She  raised  up  both  hands  in  astonishment  as  she 
recognized  him.  Begging  him  to  be  seated,  she  went  into 
the  next  room  to  break  gently  the  joyful  news  to  his 
mother.  John  was  soon  at  her  bedside,  and  the  scene 
which  followed  it  is  unnecessary  to  relate. 

"  Oh !"  John,"  said  she,  after  recovering ;  "  it  is  such  a 
comfort  to  see  you  befoVe  I  die.  I  was  sure  you  would 
come.  I  told  Mrs.  Smith  not  more  than  two  hours  ago 
that  I  should  see  you  before  my  eyes  close  forever  on 
these  old  mountain-tops  that  I  have  loved  so  well.5* 

"  But,  mother,  you  are  not  going  to  die  now,  after  I 
have  braved  everything  to  come  and  see  you.  Live  to  see 
me  humble  those  wretches  who  brought  me  to  unmerited 
disgrace,  and  you  to  this  condition !" 

"  John,  I  am  afraid  it  cannot  be.  Already  the  grand 
old  mountains  seem  to  be  fading  from  my  sight,  as  I  gaze 
through  the  window  at  them  by  day.  But  I  feel  that  I 
caii  leave  them  contented  for  a  purer  land,  now  that  I 
know  my  son  is  innocent." 

"  Oh !  mother,  I  think  you  will  get  better  now  that  the 
chief  cause  of  your  sickness  is  removed.  Phebe  Green- 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS. 

wood  will  be  here  to-morrow,  and  she  will  tell  you  more 
than  I  have  time  to  say ;  for  I  must  not  'tarry  too  long 
lest  the  minions  of  the  Leech  Club  pounce  upon  me." 

"  But  do,  John,  stay  half  an  hour  more.  I  have  not 
strength  to  talk,  but  it  will  do  me  just  as  much  good  to 
have  you  sit  there,  where  I  can  look  at  you." 

"  Ah !"  thought  John,  "  the  policy  of  'the  Leech  Club 
will  not  allow  me  the  poor  boon  of  sitting  here  half  an 
hour  by  my  sick,  and  perhaps  dying,  mother.  Should 
they  allow  me  this,  their  precious  interests  might  suffer. 
It  is  not  enough  that  they  should  disgrace  me ;  they  must 
also  murder  my  mother  in  order  to  succeed  in  their 
wicked  purposes." 

This  thought  John,  but  he  said  it  not.  He  did  not 
want  to  excite  his  parent.  So  he  informed  her  of  the 
necessity  of  his  departure  ere  daylight  broke  over  the 
hills.  After  taking  a  most  affectionate  adieu,  he  passed 
out  into  the  room  where  he  first  entered. 

John  had  no  more  than  gotten  his  hat  and  staff  than  a 
rap  was  heard  at  the  door.  Mrs.  Smith  opened  the  door, 
when  she  was  confronted  by  three  men,who,without  wait 
ing  for  an  invitation,  walked  in.  They  were  stout,  burly 
fellows,  armed  with  pistols  and  clubs.  John  stood  on  the 
farther  side  of  the  room,  and  as  their  eyes  fell  upon  him, 
one  of  them  exclaimed  : 

"  Ah !  my  prison  bird,  we  have  caged  you  at  last.  Take 
that  hand  out  of  your  breast  pocket ;  don't  draw  a  pistol, 
or  I'll  riddle  you  with  all  the  bullets  in  this  six-shooter." 

The  three  ruffians  were  about  to  advance  on  John,when 
suddenly  a  new  personage  appeared  upon  the  scene.  He 
entered  through  an  open  window  near  where  John  stood. 
At  first  John  was  disposed  to  regard  this  person  as  one 
more  added  to  the  force  of  the  assailants,  but  instantly 
his  countenance  brightened  up,  for  he  recognized  the 
Hermit  of  the  Catskills.  He  was  apparently  armed  only 
with  a  stout  staff,  and  he  stood  immovable  for  a  moment, 
gazing  upon  the  ruffians,  as  if  he  would  wither  them 
with  the  lofty  scorn  of  his  dark  brow.  And  this  pres 
ence  evidently  had  its  effect  on  them,  for  the  pallor  of 
their  countenances  was  plainly  visible.  Soon  he  spoke  in 
tones  deep  and  stinging,  pointing  his  staff  toward  the 
door  behind  the  ruffians : 


188  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J    OK,    THE 

"  Myrmidons  of  the  Leech  Club,  your  way  lies  there ! 
Is  not  the  house  of  sickness,  and  perhaps  of  death,  sacred 
against  your  foul  and  malarious  presence  ?  Go  while  it 
is  yet  in  your  power  to  do  so,  or  your  bodies  will  be  made 
kindred  carrion  with  your  souls  !" 

John  Woodman  now  drew  a  revolver,  and  leveling  it 
at  the  ruffians,  said  in  tones  which  bore  the  significance 
of  death: 

"  Go !" 

The  knees  of  the  ruffians  fairly  shook  under  them,  and 
they  turned  and  fled  like  craven  wolves  frightened  from 
their  prey. 

John  went  back  into  the  sick-room  to  reassure  his 
mother  that  he  was  safe,  and  again  bidding  her  good-bye, 
walked  out  into  the  open  air,  where  the  Hermit  was  ap 
parently  awaiting  him. 

"Ah  !"  said  John,  "  you  are  my  good  angel !" 

"  I  will  not  reproach  you  for  this  temerity,"  said  the 
Hermit.  "It  is  natural  that  a  true  young  man  should 
want  to  see  his  sick  mother.  I  cannot  ask  you  to  leave 
the  neighborhood  while  your  mother  lies  at  the  point  of 
death.  But  you  see  how  careful  you  must  be  to  keep 
out  of  the  fangs  of  those  bloodhounds.  Follow  me." 

The  Hermit  started  off  at  a  rapid  pace,  which  John, 
with  all  his  inured  agilitv  in  mountain  climbing,  found 
it  difficult  to  maintain,  'they  soon  reached  the  wooded 
mountain  side,  but  the  Hermit  slackened  not  his  gait. 
He  plunged  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  dark,  gloomy 
solitudes,  and  so  tortuous  was  his  path  through  gorges 
and  over  crests  and  ledges,  that  John,  in  spite  of  nis 
long  familiarity  with  the  mountains,  wras  soon  com 
pletely  bewildered  as  to  his  whereabouts.  He  had  no 
more  idea  as  to  what  locality  he  was  in  than  if  he  had 
never  traversed  these  hills.  They  continued  their  mean- 
derings  till  after  daylight.  At  length  they  halted  before 
a  high  rock  with  smooth  sides,  which  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  scale  without  a  ladder.  It  was  sur 
rounded  by  lofty  trees,  and  up  one  of  these  the  Hermit 
climbed  as  far  as  he  could.  He  then  reached  out  his 
staff,  which  he  had  taken  up  with  him,  and  with  a 
small  hook  on  its  end,  grappled  a  green  ivy  vine  that 
was  apparently  growing  naturally  on  the  rock.  He 


MYSTERIES   OF    THE    CAT8KILLS.  189 

pulled  this  vine  towards  him,  and  soon  it  was  seen  to  be 
fastened  to  a  concealed  rope  on  the  top  of  the  rock.  The 
rope  was  drawn  down  some  twenty  feet,  until  the  Her 
mit  had  it  in  his  hand.  The  other  end  was  then  found 
to  be  firmly  fastened  to  the  top  of  the  rock.  The  rope, 
at  short  intervals,  was  provided  with  loops,  into  which  a 
person  could  place  his  foot,  and  easily  climb  to  the  top 
of  the  rock. 

The  Hermit  now  beckoned  to  John  to  follow  him  up 
the  tree.  As  the  trunk  of  the  tree  was  thickly  studded 
with  limbs,  John  had  no  difficulty  in  ascending.  "When 
he  reached  the  point  where  the  Hermit  stood,  the  latter 
commenced  ascending  the  rock  by  placing  his  feet  in 
the  loops  of  the  rope.  He  soon  reached  the  top,  and 
then  motioned  John  to  follow.  John  climbed  up  with 
ease,  owing  to  the  accommodating  loops. 

On  reaching  the  summit  of  the  rock  a  most  complete 
place  of  concealment  was  found.  There  was  a  deep 
hollow  in  the  top  of  the  rock,  so  that  a  man  standing 
therein  could  not  be  seen  except  by  an  observer  who 
might  find  means  to  get  up  to  some  point  higher  than 
the  rock,  so  as  to  look  down  into  the  cavity.  As  there 
was  no  higher  object  near,  there  was  little  danger  of 
this.  After  John  had  gotten  up,  the  Hermit  drew  the 
rope  up  also,  leaving  the  green  vine  upon  the  side  of  the 
rock,  so  that  it  looked  as  if  it  had  grown  there,  the  same 
as  before.  The  hermit  next  put  his  strength  against 
the  side  of  the  cavity,  which  bore  the  shattered  appear 
ance  common  to  rocks,  and  it  receded,  leaving  an  open 
ing  just  large  enough  to  admit  a  man's  body.  Into  this 
he  crawled,  taking  the  rope  with  him.  John  followed. 
He  found  they  were  in  a  chamber  not  much  more  than 
large  enough  to  contain  the  two  men.  In  this  narrow 
chamber  was  a  rude  couch,  though  a  very  comfortable 
one,  some  of  the  simplest  cooking  utensils,  a  pail  for 
containing  water,  a  small  quantity  of  charcoal,  and  a 
diminutive  furnace  for  cooking. 

This  pent-up  chamber  was  nothing  more  than  a  nat 
ural  fissure  in  the  rock.  And  this  fissure  appeared  to 
cleave  the  rock  asunder,  only  it  narrowed  as  it  ap 
proached  the  outer  surface,  where  it  was  nothing  more 
than  a  good  sized  crack.  This  afforded  plenty  of  air  for 


190  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

the  chamber.  The  fissure  appeared  to  reach  far  down 
into  the  rock,  and  the  floor  of  the  little  chamber  con 
sisted  of  timbers  placed  across  the  fissure.  The  door  by 
which  the  Hermit  entered  was  simply  a  natural  hole, 
which  he  had  ingeniously  concealed  by  a  flat  slab  of  stone, 
which,  when  in  position,  looked  like  a  natural  fragment 
of  the  rock.  This  slab,  as  it  stood  on  edge,  could  be 
pushed  back  by  the  strength  of  a  man,  it  being  caught 
within  by  a  wooden  spring  which  kept  it  from  falling 
too  far  back.  The  occupant  once  within  this  chamber, 
could  place  the  stone  slab  back  over  the  entrance ;  and 
there  were  some  heavy  stones  at  hand  to  pile  against  it 
on  the  inside,  so  that  no  one  without  could  push  it 
open.  Should  a  stranger,  by  any  possibility  get  on  top 
of  the  rock,  when  the  door  of  the  chamber  was  closed,  he 
could  discover  no  sign  of  an  opening  in  the  rock.  It 
was  the  most  ingenious  place  of  concealment  ever  de 
vised. 

After  resting  a  few  minutes,  the  Hermit  took  from  a 
locker  in  the  side  of  the  grotto  some  provisions,  consist 
ing  of  bread,  meat  and  coffee.  He  then  took  the  pail,  to 
which  a  string  was  fastened,  and  let  it  down  into  the  fis 
sure  of  the  rock.  John,  on  looking  down,  saw  that  a  nat 
ural  cavity  in  the  rock  was  filled  with  water.  At  first  he 
thought  the  water  came  from  a  spring,  but  afterwards  dis 
covered  that  it  was  caught  on  top  of  the  rock  in  time  of 
showers,  and  conveyed  there  by  means  of  bark  leaders. 
So  a  good  supply  of  water  was  always  on  hand. 

The  Hermit  took  the  water,  the  provisions,  and  the 
charcoal  furnace,  with  a  few  pieces  of  charcoal,  and 
crawled  back  out  of  the  chamber  into  the  open  hollow  in 
the  top  of  the  rock.  Here  he  started  a  fire,  and  soon  had 
their  breakfast  cooking.  The  charcoal  made  no  percepti 
ble  smoke,  and  in  the  hollow  of  the  rock  they  were  se 
cure  from  observation,  had  any  one  happened  along  in 
that  obscure  locality. 

After  they  had  refreshed  themselves  with  food,  the 
Hermit  showed  John  how  to  manage  with  the  rope  ladder 
in  case  he  wanted  to  go  down  from  the  rock  for  a  time,  foi 
it  would  not  do  to  leave  the  rope  hanging  in  open  sight 
A  string  was  tied  to  the  end  of  the  rope  before  it  was  let 
down.  This  string  was  doubled  around  a  smooth  frag- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  191 

ment  on  top  of  the  rock,  while  the  descending  climber 
held  fast  to  one  end  of  the  string.  After  he  had  gotten 
down,  he  had  only  to  pull  on  the  string  and  the  rope  was 
drawn  back,  and  remained  in  a  coil  out  of  sight  in  the 
cavity  of  the  rock.  A  sudden  jerk  then  broke  the  string 
off,  it  being  made  weakest  at  tlie  point  where  it  was  tied 
to  the  rope.  The  string  was  then  pocketed,  and  nothing 
remained  in  sight  about  the  rock  but  the  green  vine, with 
which  to  pull  down  the  rope  the  next  time  it  was 
wanted. 

The  rock  jutting  up  high  on  one  side,  afforded  ample 
shade  from  the  sun  s  rays  at  any  time  of  day ;  and  the  in 
habitant  of  this  cozy  hiding  place  could  spread  a  mat 
tress  on  top  of  the  rock,  in  the  open  air,  and  lounge  at 
his  ease  during  the  long  summer  days,  secure  from  obser 
vation.  A  few  choice  books  were  among  the  contents  of 
this  strange  retreat,  and  these  the  Hermit  placed  at  John's 
disposal.  There  was  something  peculiarly  enchanting 
in  this  secluded  situation  to  an  imaginative  temperament. 
One  could  retire  here,  almost  beyond  the  possibility  of 
discovery  from  the  rest  of  the  world.  John  supposed 
that  he  had  been  favored  with  admission  to  the  secret 
dwelling  of  the  Hermit,  which  many  had  vainly  endeav 
ored  to  discover;  and  he  did  not  so  greatly  wonder  that 
the  recluse  found  a  fascination  in  these  solitudes. 

The  Hermit  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  descend  from  his 
fortress.  Dinner  hour  came,  and  he  again  provided  a 
repast.  They  had  about  half  finished  the  meal,  when 
the  baying  of  a  hound  was  heard.  Soon  the  dog  came 
close  around  the  base  of  the  rock,  and  showed  no  dispo 
sition  to  go  any  further,  keeping  up  a  constant  baying. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  voices  of  men  were  joined  with  the 
yelping  of  the  hound.  The  Hermit  motioned  John  to 
rise  up,  and  look  cautiously  through  a  crevice  in  the 
rock.  He  saw  a  gang  of  about  a  dozen  men,  among 
whom  he  recognized  the  three  who  had  attempted  to  cap 
ture  him  at  his  mother's  house  the  night  previous.  John 
by  no  means  felt  at  ease  in  view  of  the  force  that  was 
hunting  him.  It  was  evident  that  they  had  employed  a 
blood-hound  to  scent  him  out. 

But  the  Hermit,  having  surveyed  the  gang  through  a 
crevice,  calmly  resumed  his  meal,  and  John,  ashamed  to 


192  THE   LEECH   CLUB  |    OR,    THE 

manifest  any  undue  anxiety,  followed  his  example.  It 
required  all  his  philosophy  to  do  so,  for  it  was  a  peculiar 
state  of  affairs.  The  ferocious  dog  bayed  at  the  trunk  of 
the  tree  up  which  John  and  the  Hermit  had  climbed  to 
get  upon  the  rock.  It  was  evident  that  the  pursuers 
were  convinced  that  the  fugitives  were  in  the  vicinity. 
They  climbed  the  tree  as  far  as  they  could,  and  still  they 
were  more  than  twenty  feet  below  the  top  of  the  rock. 
Still,  with  this  unpleasant  proximity  of  the  pursuers,  the 
Hermit  continued  his  meal  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
After  the  meal  was  finished  the  Hermit  carefully  gath 
ered  up  everything  that  would  indicate  the  presence  of  a 
human  being,  and  placed  it  within  the  grotto.  The  noise 
below  had  become  less  boisterous,  showing  that  whatever 
was  going  on  down  there  was  more  methodical.  The  Her 
mit  looked  through  a  crevice,  and  saw  that  the  pursuers 
were  constructing  a  rude  ladder  with  which  to  get  upon 
the  rock.  He  beckoned  to  John  to  come  and  view  the 
proceedings.  He  showed  John  a  bow,  and  some  steel- 
pointed  arrows,  with  which  he  could  have  picked  off  the 
bloodhound  before  the  men  arrived  on  the  spot ;  but  this 
would  have  betrayed  their  presence  in  the  vicinity.  John 
was  armed  with  a  revolver,  and  he  thought  they  could, 
at  least,  sell  their  lives  dearly.  * 

The  Hermit  having  satisfied  himself  that  the  pursuers 
were  determined  to  get  upon  the  rock,  concluded  it  was 
time  to  get  to  cover.  He  and  John  then  retired  within 
the  grotto,  and  closed  its  stone  door.  They  then  piled 
the  stones  against  the  slab,  so  that,  should  it  be  sounded, 
it  would  appear  like  the  solid  rock,  and  could  not  be  pushed 
open. 

The  pursuers  were  not  very  long  in  cutting  down  a 
knotted  sapling,  over  twenty  feet  long,  up  which  a  man 
could  easily  climb.  This  was  gotten  up  into  the  top  of 
the  tree,  'up  which  John  and  the  Hermit  had  climbed, 
and  there  lashed  fast  with  ropes,  which  the  pursuers 
brought  with  them.  This  knotted  pole  resting  against 
the  rock,  formed  a  rude  ladder,  up  which  the  assailants 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  rock.  They  found  nothing  to 
indicate  that  any  human  being  had  ever  been  there  be 
fore  them.  They  rent  the  air  with  curses  at  their  disap 
pointment,  and  some  of  their  number  began  to  devise 


MYSTERIES    OF  ^  THE    CATSKILLS.  193 

means  to  sound  the  rock  to  see  if  there  might  be  a  cave 
within  it.  By  means  of  their  rope  they  managed  to  raise 
up  quite  a  boulder  frt)m  below,  and  this  they  threwr 
about  with  great  vigor.  It  often  struck  the  stone  door 
of  the  grotto,  and  John  greatly  feared  that  the  slab  would 
be  shattered,  and  reveal  the  hiding  place. 

The  Hermit  was  evidently  surprised  at  this  new  pro 
cedure.  This  was  something  he  had  not  looked  for. 
Thud,  thud,  thud,  the  boulder  dashed  around  like  a  bat 
tering  cannon  ball,  and  when  it  struck  the  stone  door  of 
the  grotto,  the  inside  barricade  was  observed  to  shake. 
Should  the  slab  crack,  the  artificial  embankment  of  stones 
inside  would  be  discovered,  and  the  fugitives  wrould  be 
unearthed.  The  Hermit  began  to  prepare  his  weapons, 
as  if  for  defense.  Every  stone  that  could  be  obtained, 
was  piled  against  the  battered  door.  Every  available, 
timber  in  the  grotto  was  braced  against  the  barricade. 
And  this  was  not  done  a  moment  too  soon.  The  place 
had  excited  the  suspicions  of  the  assailants,  and  they  bat 
tered  the  door  with  redoubled  fury.  Finally  their  bat 
tering  boulder  was  shattered,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
cease  until  they  could  get  another  one  from  below. 

During  the  lull,  their  conversation  could  plainly  be 
*  heard  within  the  grotto,  and  John  could  hear  them  express 
their  belief  that  they  had  him  caged  within.  He  per 
ceived  that  they  were  getting  up  two  or  three  boulders 
with  which  to  cannonade  the  little  castle.  It  might  seem 
that  it  could  not  long  resist  these  rude  attacks ;  and  it  was 
apparent  that  the  Hermit  was  of  this  opinion,  for  he 
seemed  to  be  preparing  to  escape  through  some  secret 
passage  in  the  rock,  or  to  make  his  exit  in  some  super 
natural  manner.  He  lowered  the  rope  down  into  the  fis 
sure  heretofore  mentioned  as  penetrating  the  bowTels  of 
the  rock.  John's  dismay  may  be  imagined  when  the 
Hermit,  without  one  wrord  of  explanation,  passed  down 
on  the  rope,  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness  of  the  yawn 
ing  fissure. 

"Good  Heavens!"  said  John,  "am  I  the  victim  of 
a  demon's  arts  as  well  as  those  of  brutish  men  !  Is  the 
Hermit  of  the  Catskills  the  evil  spirit  he  is  said  to  be  ? 
And  has  he  only  rescued  me  from  prison  and  brought  me 
here  that  he  may  exhibit  to  me  the  powrers  of  his  infernal 
9 


194  THE   LEECH    CLl'B  |    OR,    THE 

arts,  that  my  final  fall  may  be  the  greater  ?     Great  God ! 
the  powers  of  earth  and  hell  conspire  against  me  !" 

Now  the  bombardment  again  commenced,  and  boulder 
after  boulder  struck  against  the  devoted  door.  Then 
there  was  a  lull,  and  he  heard  the  ruffians  addressing 
him  as  if  they  felt  sure  of  his  presence  there. 

"  Come,  my  nice  woodchuck,  you  might,  as  well  come 
out  of  your  hole  !  We're  bound  to  have  you  any  way." 

"  Come,  come,  don't  you  know  that  toads  are  some 
times  blasted  out  of  the  solid  rock,  where  they  have  been 
a  thousand  years?  Well,  you  hain't  been  in  there  quite 
as  long  as  that,  but  we're  goin'  to  blast  you  out.  We 
don't  mean  to  leave  you  in  there  to  be  a  fossil.  It 
wouldn't  be  kind  of  us  to  do  so." 

Then  the  battering  commenced  again,  the  barricade  of 
stone  and  timber  shook  beneath  the  shock,  and  John 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  was  lost.  He  felt  fully  con 
vinced  that  the  Hermit  was  really  a  demon,  who  could 
disappear  at  pleasure  in  the  solid  rock.  He  had  brought 
him  there  to  mock,  and  leave  him  to  perish.  John 
prepared  his  revolver  for  the  encounter,  determined 
never  to  be  taken  alive.  He  would  have  followed  the 
Hermit  down  the  rope  into  the  fissure,  but  the  latter  had  i 
evidently  foreseen  such  an  event,  and  had  found  means 
to  remove  the  rope  and  take  it  with  him.  John  began 
to  think  that  Hermit,  rope  and  all,  were  but  phantoms. 

All  at  once  there  was  a  halt  in  the  battering  process, 
and  as  silence  prevailed,  John  heard  the  yelping  of  the 
hound  as  if  the  animal  had  been  wounded.  Again  he 
heard  a  sharp  yelp,  and  then  the  voice  of  the  hound  was 
heard  no  more.  JSrext  there  was  a  yell  of  rage  and  pain 
among  the  .men  on  the  top  of  the  rock.  Evidently  some 
of  them  had  been  wounded.  This  was  followed  by  a  dis 
charge  of  pistols  by  the  men  on  the  rock.  But  soon  an 
other  cry  of  pain  was  heard  among  them.  And  now 
John  judged  that  they  were  leaving  the  rock  in  haste.  It 
was  not  long  till  all  was  still,  and  John  breathed  free. 
In'  the  course  of  an  hour  John  removed  the  barricade,  and 
came  forth  from  the  grotto. 

Looking,  about  he  comprehended  what  had  taken  place. 
The  bloodhound  lay  dead  a  short  distance  from  the  rock, 
pierced  with  an  arrow.  Blood  was  found  on  top  of  the 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  195 

rock,  where  the  Hermit  had  sent  his  missiles  among  the 
ruffians. 

As  John  afterwards  learned,  the  Hermit  had  made  a 
diversion  by  getting  clear  of  the  rock  through  some  mys 
terious  passage.  As  soon  as  he  was  free  in  the  woods,  he 
shot  the  hound.  The  yelps  of  the  dog  caused  the  assail 
ants  to  rush  to  the  edge  of  the  rock  to  see  what  was  the 
matter.  As  soon  as  they  thus  showed  themselves,  the 
Hermit,  with  the  unerring  accuracy  of  his  Indian  ances 
tors,  sent  an  arrow  among  them,  designed  only  to  wound, 
and  not  to  kill.  The  Hermit  then  purposely  showed 
himself,  and  drew  the  fire  of  their  revolvers.  He  then 
continued  the  discharge  of  arrows,  wounding  the  assailants 
at  pleasure.  The  Hermit  either  had,  by  some  mysterious 
means,  summoned  assistance,  or  elsd  he  so  rapidly  shifted 
his  position  in  the  obscurity  of  the  thick  forest,  discharg 
ing  arrows  from  different  points,  as  to  create  the  impres 
sion  that  he  had  a  considerable  number  of  followers  en 
gaged  in  the  attack.  The  consequence  was  a  precipitate 
retreat  of  the  ruffians,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  gotten 
well  out  of  sight,  the  Hermit  returned  to  the  rock.  He 
ascended  by  the  pole  which  they  had  left  lashed  to  the 
top  of  the  tree. 

On  examination  of  the  stone  door  of  the  grotto,  it  was 
found  not  to  be  cracked  in  the  least.  Nothing  more  than 
a  few  scales  were  slivered  off  by  the  persistent  battering. 
It  was  a  hard  granite  slab,  about  six  or  eight  inches 
thick,  and  from  all  appearances,  the  assailants  might  have 
battered  away  till  doomsday,  without  making  any  impres 
sion  on  it.  Probably  the  only  anxiety  of  the  Hermit  was 
that  they  might  discover  a  shaking  of  the  slab,  and  thus 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  certainly  a  secret 
chamber  behind  it.  They  might  then  bring  drills  and 
powder  to  remove  it.  By  making  the  diversion  that  he 
did,  the  Hermit  had  no  doubt  left  the  impression  with 
the  assailants  that  they  had  simply  been  battering  at  the 
solid  rock.  They  were  also  inspired  with  a  new  and 
wholesome  terror  of  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills.  The 
latter  heard  them  as  they  retreated,  cursing  their  own 
stupidity  for  spending  so  much  time  in  battering  a  solid 
rock,  and  making  such  a  rumpus  as  to  awaken  from  the 
recesses  of  the  mountains  the  Hermit  of  the  Oatskills,  and 


196  THE    LEECH    CLUB  J    OR,    THE 

draw  upon  .themselves  the  vengeance  of  him  and  his  crew. 
As  was  afterwards  ascertained,  their  story  was  hardly  be 
lieved  at  the  castle  of  the  Leech  Club,  and  they  were 
laughed  at  for  getting  frightened  at  the  phantoms  of  the 
forest.  It  is  doubtful  if  they  could  again  have  found  the 
rock  where  they  met  with  their  discomfiture. 

After  the  Hermit  had  again  placed  the  rope  for  ascend 
ing  the  rock  in  proper  position,  he  removed  all  vestiges 
of  the  attack  which  had  been  made  on  the  place,  and  it 
bore  the  same  natural  appearance  that  it  had  before.  The 
dead  hound  was  taken  to  a  distance,  and  buried.  The 
retreat  was,  if  possible,  safer  than  before,  for  the  same 
party,  aside  from  their  fear  of  the  Hermit,  would  never 
spend  their  time  again  in  battering  what  they  now  be 
lieved  to  be  a  solid  rock.  Moreover,  the  Hermit  showed 
John  an  inner  chamber  from  the  first,  entered  by  the  re 
moval  of  a  granite  slab,  which,  like  the  first,  appeared  to 
be  part  and  parcel  of  the  rock.  These  slabs  were  so  nicely 
balanced  on  a  sharp  edge>  resting  in  a  groove,  that  they 
were  easily  swung  backward  when  not  braced  within. 
Thus,  should  the  first  grotto,  by  any  possibility  be  found, 
the  removal  of  the  occupant  to  another  secret  chamber 
would  create  the  impression  that  the  place  had  been 
abandoned.  But  the  greatest  protection  was  the  super 
stitious  idea,  which  was  constantly  gaining  ground,  that 
the  mysterious  denizens  of  the  Catskills  had  means  of 
traversing  at  pleasure  the  bowels  of  the  mountains.  Con 
cerning  the  mysterious  manner  in  which  the  Hermit  had 
descended  through  the  bowels  of  the  rock,  and  gained  the 
forest,  John  was  left  in  ignorance,  and  many  were  the 
vague  conjectures  in  which  he  indulged  in  regard  to  the 
probable  supernatural  powers  of  his  strange  friend. 

John  had  supposed  that  he  was  to  be,  for  a  time,  a  fel 
low  occupant  with  the  Hermit.  In  this  he  was  mistaken. 
"Whether  or  not  this  was  the  domicil  of  the  Hermit,  he 
soon  signified  his  intention  to  depart,  but  gave  John 
understand  that  he  should  be  provided  with  food.  John, 
after  his  escape  from  prison,  had  concluded  to  remaii 
concealed  for  a  while  in  the  Catskills,  and,  in  order  that 
the  time  should  not  be  wasted,  he  had  brought  a  few  la\ 
books  with  him,  determined  to  continue  the  study  whk 
he  had  pursued  for  a  year  or  two  past,  during  his  leist 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  197 

moments  at  his  mountain  home.  He  described  to  the 
Hermit  the  spot  where  the  books  were  concealed,  and  the 
next  day  the  latter  brought  them  to  him.  These,  with 
the  few  books  which  comprised  the  store  of  the  grotto, 
afforded  John  profitable  employment  in  his  strange 
abode. 

Thus  was  John  left  alone  in  the  gloom  of  the  forest, 
and  thus  did  ambition  sustain  him,  under  such  strange  and 
trying  circumstances,  to  persevere  in  preparing  himself 
for  the  profession  which  he  hoped  to  practice  some  time 
in  the  future. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

JOHN    WOODMAN    AGAIN   VISITS   HIS   MOTHER. 


JOHN  WOODMAN  had  been  charged  by  the  Hermit  of 
the  Oatskills  not  to  attempt  to  visit  his  mother  until  noti 
fied  by  the  Hermit  that  the  way  was  clear.  But  a  pre 
sentiment  came  upon  John  that  she  was  near  her  end,  and 
he  resolved  at  all  hazards  to  see  her  ere  she  breathed  her 
last.  John  had  learned  the  way  out  from  his  obscure  re 
treat,  and  he  approached  the  residence  of  his  mother  as 
near  as  he  dared  by  day,  and  when  near  the  hour  of 
midnight,  he  crept  cautiously  to  the  door  and  was  ad 
mitted.  He  found  his  mother's  strength  fast  failing. 
Her  eyes  brightened  up  writh  ineffable  joy  as  he  ap 
proached  her  bedside. 

"  Ah  !  John,"  said  she,  in  feeble  tones,  "  I  knew  again 
that  you  would  come  to  me  this,  my  last  night  on 
earth." 

John  felt  that  what  she  said  was  true,  and  while  he 
pressed  her  frail  hand,  he  said  : 

"  Oh !  mother !  dear  mother  !  that  I  should  be  driven 
from,  and  only  allowed  to  see  you  by  stealth  at  this  try 
ing  hour !" 

"  Weep  not,  John  ;"  said  the  dying  woman.     "  I  see  a 


198  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

bright  future  for  you  in  this  world  ;  and  the  poor  boon 
of  undisturbed  fellowship  that  is  denied  us  in  the  brief 
moments  that  are  left  to  me,  we  will  make  up  when  we 
meet  within  the  pearly  gates,  where  no  such  disturbers  as 
now  persecute  you  can  enter  to  interfere  with  our  happy 
meeting.  While  you  have  many  years  to  live,  John,  it 
will  not  be  long  till  we  will  embrace  each  other  in  that 
glorious  meeting  !  Only  think,  John,  it  won't  be  long ! 
Why,  John,  it  only  seems  as  though  I  was  about  to  bid 
you  good-night,  and  that  this  was  to  be  the  last  night  of 
our  poverty ;  while  we  were  to  awake  to  bid  each  other 
good  morning,  the  inheritors  of  unspeakable  riches.  It 
seems  as  though  I  was  only  going  to  sleep,  to  rest  a  few 
hours,  and  then  to  awake  to  meet  you  in  such  blissful  and 
changed  circumstances.  So  short  do  years  seem  as  we 
approach  eternity,  John  !" 

"  Oh  !  mother,  I  could  bear  this  bereavement  manfully 
in  view  of  such  sublime  faith  as  yours,  if  I  could  only  sit 
down  peacefully  and  spend  with  you  in  sweet  communion 
of  soul  these  last  glorious  moments,  without  the  harrow 
ing  thought  that  I  may  at  any  instant  be  seized  by  the 
prowling  human  wolves  without,  and  dragged  from  your 
side  to  prison !" 

"  But,  believe  me,  John,  even  if  you  should  be  seized 
by  those  wicked  men  now,  you  will  triumph  in  the  end. 
Somehow,  John,  your  worldly  future  seems  so  clear  and 
honorable  to  me  that  I  don't  feel  the  least  concern  for 
your  welfare." 

"  My  own  dear  mother,  it  is  worth  a  lifetime,  and  the 
risk  of  years  of  imprisonment,  to  sit  here  and  witness 
such  heavenly  faith  as  yours.  So  long  as  I  live  the  re 
membrance  of  this  shall  be  a  cynosure  to  lift  my  eyes  up 
to  the  God  who  inspires  you,  and  keep  my  feet  from  the 
paths  of  sin." 

"How  happy  you  make  me,  John,  by  such  dutiful 
words.  Could  any  woman  be  more  blest  in  her  dying 
hour  than  I  ?  Here  is  my  only  and  loved  son  standing 
by  my  bedside,  resolving  to  keep  from  the  ways  of  sin, 
though  persecuted  almost  to  death  by  malicious  enemies. 
I  had  feared,  John,  that  your  heart  would  be  bitter  and 
revengeful  under  your  troubles.  Oh  !  John,  how  I  wish 
you  could  stay  with  me  till  the  last  moment — that; 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  199 

as  my  eyes  close  in  death,  they  might  rest  upon  you,  as 
the  last  sweet  remembrance  of  earth,  as  I  awake  at  the 
feet  of  my  Saviour  in  the  bright  world.  But,  John,  this 
sweet  consolation  must  be  denied  me,  for  it  would  not  be 
safe  for  you.  And  I  think  it  is  selfish  in  me  to  wish  it ; 
for  think  of  the  bliss  I  have  beside  !  How  few  are  so 
blest  as  I  am.  How  few  are  so  rich  in  their  dying  hour 
as  to  have  a  dutiful  son  braving  death  and  imprisonment 
to  see  his  mother  in  her  last  hour,  and  receive  her  dying 
farewell  and  blessing !'' 

Such  riches  were,  indeed,  beyond  estimation.  But  this 
sacred  and  holy  scene  was  destined  to  a  rude  interruption. 
Had  John's  attention  been  attracted  from  the  dying  form 
of  his  mother,  toward  the  window,  he  would  have  seen  a 
brutal  face  without,  pressed  against  a  pane  of  glass,  peer 
ing  in  at  him  in  a  sinister  manner.  John  was  only  at 
tracted  by  the  noise  made  by  the  ruffian  in  trying  to  raise 
the  window,  which  was  fortunately  fast  on  the  inside,  and 
detained  the  marauder  for  an  instant.  John  saw  the  state 
of  things,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Mother,  I  am  pursued  !     I  must  leave  you  !" 

"  Stay  one  moment,  John  !    Kneel  and  receive  my  bles 


sing 


1" 


John  knelt,  and  the  hand  of  the  dying  mother  was 
placed  on  her  son's  head,  as  she  uttered  a  brief  prayer,  and 
commended  him  to  the.  God  in  whom  she  trusted.  John 
then  impressed  a  fervent  kiss  on  her  pale  lips,  and  arose. 
His  pursuers,  looking  in  at  the  window,  had  been  awed  a 
moment  by  the  solemn  scene.  But  as  John  arose  and 
looked  about  for  an  avenue  of  escape,  not  even  the  room 
of  death  was  sacred  to  the  agents  of  the  Leech  Club. 
They  raised  the  window,  and  were  climbing  in.  Fortu 
nately  John  was  well  acquainted  with  the  ways  of  the 
humble  cottage,  and  he  rushed  up  a  narrow  stairway  into 
the  garret.  The  ruffians  hesitated  for  an  instant  to  follow 
him  up  there  in  the  dark,  and  this  gave  him  time  to  let 
himself  down  from"  a  window  in  the  farther  end  of  the 
garret.  He  was  met  by  one  of  the  pursuers,  who  wras 
watching  without. 

"  Surrender,  or  take  the  contents  of  this  pistol !"  were 
the  first  words  that  greeted  his  ears ;  and  the  challenge 
came  from  a  man  not  more  than  six  feet  off. 


200  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

Without  uttering  a  word,  and  utterly  regardless  of  the 
weapon,  John  sprang  upon  the  ruffian,  and  felled  him 
with  a  tremendous  blow  of  his  powerful  list.  The  fellow 
was  so  taken  by  surprise  that  he  failed  to  fire  his  pistol, 
and  he  was  so  completely  stunned  by  the  blow,  that  he  lay 
senseless  on  the  ground.  John  then  darted  like  a  deer  for 
the  mountain,  which  he  gained  before  his  assailants  had 
resuscitated  their  fallen  comrade.  The  marauders  then 
walked  sullenly  away. 

The  dying  woman  was  cheered  by  the  tidings  from  her 
attendant  that  her  son  had  escaped. 

The  next  day  it  was  spread  through  the  neighborhood 
that  death  had  entered  that  lonely  household  during  the 
night.  Soon  several  of  the  neighbors  visited  the  solemn 
precincts  of  death.  Among  the  first  of  these  was  Phebe 
Greenwood ;  and  as  Mr.  Shoeman's  residence  was  near, 
decency  required  that  some  of  his  family  should  be  pres 
ent  ;  and  his  daughter,  Mary,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Sindandy, 
repaired  to  the  mournful  scene.  Phebe  happened  to  meet 
Mary  without  the  cottage,  and  she  could  not  restrain  her 
indignation. 

"  It  is  a  burning  shame,"  said  she,  passionately,  "  that 
those  robbers  of  the  Leech  Club  could  not  let  John  stay 
to  see  the  last  breath  of  his  mother  !" 

"  You  ought  to  be  ashamed,  Phebe,"  said  Mar}7,  bit 
terly,  "  to  talk  so  about  my  husband's  friends !" 

"Yes,  a  precious  lot  of  friends  your  husband  has!  I 
tell  you,  Mary,  they  are  all  thieves  and  robbers,  and  one 
of  these  days  you  will  find  it  out  to  your  sorrow.  Mary, 
I  wouldn't  marry  one  of  that  gang,  as  you  have  done,  for 
all  the  wealth  in  the^  State." 

This  sally  cut  Mary  to  the  quick,  and  she  retaliated. 

"  You  wouldn't  marry  one  of  the  fine  gentlemen  of 
the  Leech  Club !  No,  indeed !  but  I  suppose  you  would 
marry  a  man  who  has  been  to  the  penitentiary,  if  your 
father  would  let  you  !" 

"  That's  very  nice  of  you  to  say,  when  your  husband 
planned  a  conspiracy  to  get  John  Woodman  to  the  peni 
tentiary,  to  get  him  out  of  the  way,  hoping  I  would 
marry  that  bejeweled,  stalking  dummy  of  a  scarecrow, 
Mr.  Flitaway.  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  the  men  who  wick 
edly  got  John  into  prison  will  be  there,  before  long  them 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  201 

selves.  And  if  that  beautiful  husband  of  yours  and  Mr. 
Flitaway  are  not  linked  together  for  the  State  prison 
some  of  these  days,  I'll  miss  my  guess." 

"  Oh !  dear,"  said  Mary  scornfully,  "  I'd  like  to  see 
you  get  any  of  them  in  prison,  when  they've  got  the 
keys  of  the  prison  in  their  pockets  !" 

"  It  is  not  the  lirst  time  that  the  thieves  have  got 
possession  of  keys  that  they  ought  not  to  have.  The 
Leech  Club  thieves,  indeed,  have  just  now  the  keys  of 
the  money  drawers  as  well  as  the  prisons,  and  they  are 
using  them,  very  industriously,  to  be  sure.  I  have  heard 
before  of  thieves  managing  to  lock  their  keepers  up, 
while  they  went  about  helping  themselves  for  a  short^ 
time,  and  living  gloriously.  #ut  the  keepers  soon  got* 
out  and  put  an  end  to  their  fun,  locking  them  up  again 
where  they  belonged.  And  just  as  it  was  no  disgrace  to 
the  keepers  to  be  overpowered  arid  locked  up  for  a  short 
time,  so  I  consider  it  no  disgrace  for  John  Woodman  to 
be  overpowered  and  locked  up  by  the  Leech  Club 
thieves.  One  of  these  days  John  will  have  a  hand  in 
locking  them  up." 

Mary  could  find  no  words  to  reply  to  her  better  in 
formed  and  more  intelligent  antagonist,  and  she  burst 
into  tears  in  the  agony  of  mute  anger,  under  this  with 
ering  retaliation.  Fhebe,  though  naturally  of  a  mild 
disposition,  had  her  indignation  so  thoroughly  aroused  at 
the  injustice  that  had  been  heaped  upon  John  and  his 
dying  mother,  that  she  could  not  restrain  the  utterance 
of  the  scathing  thoughts  that  rushed  through  her 
mind. 

The  next  day  took  place  the  last  sad  ceremonies  over 
the  remains  of  Mrs.  Woodman,  ere  her  body  was  con 
signed  to  the  tomb.  Mr.  Sindandy  and  his  wife  thought 
fit  to  show  by  their  presence  at  the  funeral  that  they  en 
tertained  no  animosity  against  the  mother  of  him  whom 
they  styled  the  "  fugitive  convict."  No  one  supposed 
that  John  would  have  the  hardihood  to  come  forth  from 
his  hiding  place  and  join  the  mourners,  and  take  a  last 
sad  look  at  the  face  now  passive  in  death,  which  had 
been  so  dear  to  him  in  life  ;  to  view  once  more  that  loved 
countenance  ere  the  remorseless  clay  closed  down  upon  it 
forever.  The  surprise,  then,  was  great,  just  as  the  man 
9* 


202  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

of  God  lifted  Ins  voice  in  solemn  exhortation,  to  see 
John  walk  in,  and  take  his  seat  near  the  coffin. 

Had  Mr.  Sindandy  been  John's  murderer,  and  been 
thus  confronted  by  his  ghost,  his  agony  could  not  have 
been  greater.  The  presence  of  his  victim  was  a  terrible 
menace  to  the  safety  of  the  magnate  of  the  Leech  Club. 
For  Mr.  Sindandy  knew  in  his  heart  that  he  was  the 
chief  of  the  conspiracy  by  which  J'ohn  had  been  immured 
in  the  penitentiary.  Only  let  this  be  proved  among  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood,  and  nothing  could  save 
him  from  State  prison  ;  for  at  that  time  the  Leech  Club 
did  not  control  the  courts  in  that  county.  Mr.  Sindandy 
turned  livid,  and  fairly  shook  in  his  seat.  He  seemed  to 
essay  to  arise,  and  would  probably  have  left  the  room 
but  for  his  wife,  who  grasped  him  by  the  arm  with  an 
expostulating  look. 

The  countrymen  who  were  gathered  at  the  funeral, 
thinking  that  Mr.  Sindandy  entertained  a  purpose  of 
going  for  some  one  to  arrest  John  on  this  solemn  oc 
casion,  scowled  fiercely,  showing  that  it  would  have 
fared  badly  witk  any  one  who  should  attempt  such  a 
thing  then  and  there.  But  Mr.  Sindandy,  whose  face 
had  become  as  pale  as  that  of  the  dead  one  in  the  coffin, 
managed  to  contain  himself,  and  the  mournful  services 
proceeded.  John  remained  unmolested  through  the 
services,  and  followed  the  remains  to  the  grave.  He 
was  conveyed  thither  in  the  wagon  of  one  of  his  old 
neighbors. 

After  the  last  touching  words  had  been  uttered  by  the 
man  of  God  over  the  dust  of  the  dear  departed,  and  the 
last  shovel-full  of  earth  was  heaped  upon  the  fresh 
mound,  and  the  company  began  to  disperse,  John  walked 
arm-in-arm  with  one  of  his  old  neighbors  from  the 
bury  ing-ground.  Fhebe  Greenwood  was  among  the 
company,  and  with  her  he  exchanged  glances  of  recogni 
tion.  It  was  evident  that  John's  case  was  becoming 
pretty  well  understood  among  his  neighbors,  for  they 
cast  lowering  looks  upon  Mr.  Sindandy ;  and  his  wife 
wore  a  troubled  countenance,  as  if  her  husband  had  been 
convicted  of  a  felony.  She  seemed  perfectly  aware  of 
the  feeling  that  existed  toward  him,  and  seemed  to  say  by 
her  looks,  as  she  held  fast  to  his  arm :  "  Well,  you  hostile 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  203 

people,  regard  him  as  you  will,  I  shall  still  cling  to  him." 
So  withering  was  the  effect  of  the  umbrage  in  which  he 
was  regarded  by  the  company,  that  his  wife  actually 
seemed  ready  to  take  the  defense  for  him,  rather  than  to 
assume  the  aggressive  toward  John  Woodman,  whom 
she,  a  short  time  ago,  regarded  as  a  fugitive  at  the 
mercy  of  her  husband. 

It  did,  indeed,  really  seem  that  John  and  Mr.  Sindandy 
had  all  at  once  changed  places — that  the  former  was  the 
pursuer  and  the  latter  the  fugitive.  John  mingled  freely 
with  the  people,  showing  no  signs  of  guilty  fear ;  while 
Mr.  Sindandy  slunk  away  with  his  wife  clinging  to  his 
arm,  anxious  to  reach  his  buggy,  and  get  away  from 
that  «rowd,  which  acted  like  a  blighting  shade  on  his 
spirits.  Poor  Mary,  as  she  clung  to  him,  looked  as  if 
she  felt  that  she  was  linked  to  a  criminal  whom  it  would 
be  unkind  of  her  to  desert. 

After  the  company  had  dispersed,  John,  shaking 
hands  with  his  most  intimate  friends,  walked  quietly 
away,  and  disappeared  in  the  forests  of  the  mountains. 
Notwithstanding  the  feeling  in  the  community  in  favor 
of  John,  it  would  not  have  been  safe  for  him  to  remain 
openly  in  the  neighborhood.  He  was  under  the  ban  of 
the  laws,  and,  however  unjustly,  the  minions  of  the 
Leech  Club  would  have  soon  hurried  him  away  to 
prison. 

The  hearth  where  John  had  spent  so  many  happy 
evenings  with  his  mother  and  his  books,  was  now  com 
pletely  desolate.  His  little  clearing  must  grow  up  to 
bushes  and  weeds  ;  for  he  who  would  have  improved  it 
is  a  fugitive,  obliged  to  burrow  out  of  sight  like  a  hunted 
coney  in  the  caves  of  the  mountains.  His  humble 
cabin  must  become  the  abode  of  bats  and  owls,  and  the 
rope-walk  wherein  the  spider  shall  spin  his  web  from 
beam  to  beam  ;  for  the  fire  has  gone  out  on  the  hearth, 
and  the  hand  that  would  have  secured  the  crevices  to 
keep  out  the  birds  of  night,  and  plied  the  broom  to  the 
detriment  of  the  spider's  woof,  is  cold  in  the  grave. 

Even  the  dumb  animals  feel  their  desolateness,  now 
that  mistress  as  well  as  master  has  left  them.  The  cow 
lows  mournfully  ;  the  oxen  bellow  in  louder  grief  ;  the 
pet  sheep  bleats  plaintively ;  the  fowls  gather  in  a 


204:  THE    LEECH    CLUB  ;   OE,    THE 

group,  and  stretching  up  their  heads,  twitter  anxiously, 
as  if  to  say,  "  how  is  this  ?  and  what  shall  we  do  now  ?" 
the  faithful  dog  surveys  the  whole  with  a  look  of 
responsibility,  as  if  saying  to  himself  sadly,  "Alas! 
I  am  the  only  one  left  to  look  after  all  these  things 
now ;"  and  he  whines  in  touching  grief  at  his  bereave 
ment,  and  the  helplessness  of  those  under  his  charge. 

Thus  ruthlessly  had  that  once  cheery  mountain  home 
been  made  as  desolate  as  if  the  surrounding  forests  had 
been  suddenly  turned  into  Upas  trees  giving  forth  an  odor 
of  death ;  or  a  destroying  angel  had  breathed  upon  it  a 
pestilential  atmosphere.  The  smoke,  perchance,  will  as 
cend  no  more  toward  the  sky  from  its  stone  chimney,  nor 
the  hum  of  industry,  accompanied  by  the  voice  of  the 
good  matron  occasionally  arising  in -song,  be  heard  within 
its  walls.  She  felt  rich  in  her  only  son ;  rich  in  the  scanty 
though  sufficient  products  of  the  small  clearing,  which  he 
with  sturdy  hand  brought  to  her  humble  store  ;  rich  in 
the  proceeds  of  her  churn,  her  poultry  yard,  her  spinning- 
wheel,  and  the  many  ingenious  and  economical  produc 
tions  of  her  industrious  needle,  so  often  plying  cheerfully 
to  contrive  something  for  her  son  or  herself.  All  these 
little  things  were  much  more  valuable  to  her  than  a  splendid 
establishment  is  to  a  millionaire.  All  the  little  and  sim 
ple  things  which  made  up  her  life  came  by  cheerful, 
though  not  exhaustive  toil,  and  were  therefore  highly 
prized.  And  above  all  was  she  rich  in  the  faith  which 
sustained  her  so  grandly  at  the  last.  But  the  voice  of  her 
praise  and  her  industry  is  as  still  as  the  \valls  of  her  now 
deserted  cabin.  The  smoke  of  the  meal  which  she  so 
proudly  prepared  for  her  beloved  son,  wrill  no  longer  give 
forth  its  fragrance  ;  and  the  hills  will  no  more  resound 
to  the  horn  as  it  echoed  through  the  inspiration  of  her 
warm  breath  to  call  him  from  the  field  to  partake  with 
her  of  their  frugal  and  healthful  fare,  with  which  she 
spread  the  humble  board.  He  who  was  her  life  and  her 
pride  was  ruthlessly  snatched  from  her,  and  the  stroke 
was  so  heavy  that  it  hurried  her  to  the  tomb. 

But  the  son  of  her  heart  was  in  the  way  of  the  designs 
of  the  Leech  Club ;  and  how  could  their  interests  be  al 
lowed  to  suffer  merely  that  peace  might  remain  to  that 
simple  mountain  home  ?  For,  did  not  the  Leech  Club 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS. 

govern  a  great  State,  and  aspire  to  the  government  of  a 
great  nation  ?  And  could  they  be  expected  to  turn  aside 
from  the  path  of  empire  merely  to  avoid  stepping  on 
and  crushing  out  a  few  hearts  ? 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  the  funeral, 
when  a  kind  neighbor,  by  the  direction  of  John,  came 
and  took  the  cattle,  and  other  animals  of  the  forsaken 
household,  and  drove  them  to  his  own  premises  to  be 
cared  for.  The  furniture  was  also  removed  from  the 
house,  the  hay  from  the  barn  ;  and  so  the  desolation 
was  complete.  John,  indeed,  had  large  hopes,  but  the 
prospects  of  their  ultimate  fulfillment  were  incompara 
bly  small.  How  is  he  to  escape  the  ban  under  which  he 
stands,  not  daring  to  show  himself  where  he  is  known  ? 
How  is  he  to  vindicate  his  honor  by  proving  a  conspiracy 
against  the  powerful  Leech  Club,  who  boast  that  they 
own  the  courts?  And,  until  he  can  do  this,  he  must 
stand  in  public  estimation  as  a  convicted  felon. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

JOHN   WOODMAN     FINDS   COMPANIONSHIP    IN   THE    MOUNTAIN 
SOLITUDES. 


AFTER  the  burial  of  his  mother,  John  "Woodman  re 
turned  to  his  secure  hiding  place.  Though  he  had 
books  with  which  to  divert  himself,  the  gloom  of  his 
situation  was  becoming  terrible.  He  was  occasionally 
visited  by  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills,  but  that  strange 
personage  manifested  no  desire  for  companionship  ;  and 
consequently  the  awe  of  his  presence  was  oppressive 
rather  than  companionable  to  John.  Where  the  Hermit 
resided,  John  had  no  idea.  His  visits  to  John  were  un 
announced,  and  tarrying  briefly,  he  disappeared  in  the 
vastness  of  the  mountain  solitudes.  The  only  items  of 
his  history  which  he  ever  confided  to  John,  were  that 
his  Indian  ancestors  once  resided  in  these  mountains; 


206  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

that  he  was  spending  a  time  among  the  graves  of  his 
fathers,  holding  sweet  communion  with  their  spirits ; 
and  that,  when  this  was  concluded,  he  would  return  to 
his  brethren  in  the  West,  whence  he  came.  It  was  evi 
dent  that  he  had  means  of  knowing  what  was  going  on, 
not  only  in  the  vicinity,  but  also  in  the  country  and  the 
world  at  large,  for  he  was  well  informed  respecting  all 
the  events  and  affairs  of  the  day.  It  was  also  apparent 
that  he  was  one  of  the  few  of  his  race  who  had  received 
a  liberal  education.  He  was  versed  in  the  lore  of  the 
pale  faces,  and  in  the  cunning  and  skill  of  the  red  chil 
dren  of  the  forest.  Common  fame  said  that,  in  addition 
to  these  qualifications,  he  was  also  gifted  with  a  profi 
ciency  in  the  arts  of  the  spirit  world  ;  but  this  is  a  mat 
ter  that  we  leave  the  reader  to  decide,  if  he  can.  At  all 
events,  the  Hermit's  education  in  both  the  ways  of  the 
civilized  and  the  savage  state  of  society,  rendered  him 
more  than  a  match  for  any  mortal  whom  he  met  in  these 
mountains. 

John  began  to  feel  that  a  mysterious  influence  brooded 
over  the  mountains,  and  that  every  one  who  remained 
long  within  these  deep  solitudes  was  under  the  dominion 
of  a  spell ;  that  he  was  on  the  confines  of  two  worlds  ; 
that  this  was  :i  common  try  sting  ground,  where  spirits 
from  the  unknown  country  beyond  the  clouds  were  priv 
ileged  to  make  themselves  known  in  a  slight  degree, 
and  hold  a  restricted  converse  with  those  who  had  not 
yet  passed  the  boundary  between  the  material  and  the 
immaterial  universe.  John  imagined  that  he  saw  shades 
other  than  those  of  the  forest,  flitting  like  gossamer 
through  the  air.  He  believed  that  he  heard  voices  other 
than  those  of  the  winds  sighing  among  the  branches  of 
the  trees.  He  felt  that,  should  he  remain  much  longer 
alone  in  these  solitudes,  with  no  human  being  to  attract 
his  attention,  he  would  soon,  from  the  very  force  of  cir 
cumstances,  become  so  familiar  with  these  dim  apparitions 
and  unintelligible  voices  as  to  see  them  plainly  and  con 
verse  with  them  freely  and  understandingly.  He  be 
came  alarmed  at  this  idea,  for  he  had  no  desire  to 
become  so  different  from  ordinary  mortals  as  to  be  con 
versant  with  supernatural  things. 

When  the  dreariness  of  his  abode  in  the  forest  had  be- 


MYSTKIilES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  207 

come  so  great  that  lie  felt  he  could  no  longer  endure  it, 
and  that  penal  imprisonment  would  be  preferable,  he  re 
ceived  a  visit  from  the  Hermit,  who  addressed  him  in 
brief  terms : 

"  Come  with  me,  and  see  more  wickedness  of  the  Leech 
Club  !" 

John  was  really  rejoiced  at  this  summons.  Anything 
was  welcome  to  him  as  a  change.  He  had  no  idea  where 
the  Hermit  proposed  to  lead  him.  Perhaps  to  a  recon- 
noissance  of  the  castle !  Perhaps  to  the  neighborhood  of 
his  deserted  home  ?  It  was  enough  that  he  was  to  have 
a  respite  from  this  oppressive  solitude,  and  he  followed 
joyously. 

The  Hermit  led  him  over  the  trackless  mountains, 
John  knew  not  whither.  He  was  certain  that  he  had 
never  traversed  this  part  of  the  rugged  wilderness  before. 
When  he  halted,  it  was  before  a  high  ledge  of  rocks. 
The  Hermit  procured  a  wooden  lever,  and  placed  the 
end  of  it  under  a  flat  boulder,  which  lay  in  an  inclined 
position  among  a  promiscuous  heap  of  debris.  Raising 
this  boulder,  he  propped  it  up  with  stones  until  there 
was  an  opening  two  or  three  feet  wide.  He  then  di 
rected  John  to  look  underneath.  He  did  so,  and  discov 
ered  a  subterraneous  opening,  large  enough  for  a  man  to 
enter  by  crawling  on  his  hands  and  knees. 

The  Hermit  took  from  the  haversack  which  he  gen- 
"erally  carried,  materials  with  which  he  made  two  torches. 
Lighting  them,  he  gave  one  to  John,  and,  telling  him  to 
follow,  crept  into  the  low,  narrow  passage.  John  fol 
lowed  unhesitatingly,  glad  to  embark  in  any  adventure 
that  would  divert  his  present  gloomy  state  of  mind. 
They  soon  came  to  a  wider  and  higher  passage,  where 
they  could  stand  erect,  and  it  was  not  long  ere  they  were 
in  a  high  and  spacious  cavern.  This  was  undoubtedly 
the  identical  one  with  which  the  reader  has  already  been 
made  somewhat  acquainted. 

The  Hermit  threaded  its  intricate  windings  as  famil 
iarly  as  if  he  had  been  in  the  open  forest,  and  John  fol 
lowed,  not  knowing,  or  hardly  caring  what  was  their 
errand  within  this  gloomy  vault.  He  had  become  so 
depressed  with  the  loneliness  of  his  home  in  the  forest, 
that  even  this  change  to  what  most  persons  would  have 


208  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

thought  an  infinitely  more  gloomy  situation,  was  a  great 
relief  to  him.  The  weird  shadows  which  he  saw  in  the 
cavern  were  much  less  terrifying  to  him  than  the  uncer 
tain  shades  with  which  the  forest  appeared  to  him  to 
be  invested.  And  the  sepulchral  echoes  of  the  doleful 
vault  sounded  not  half  so  supernatural  to  him  as  the  in 
describable  whisperings  that  sighed  through  the  trees 
and  gorges  in  the  lonely  forest-depths  of  the  mountains. 

The  Hermit  at  length  stopped  at  a  point  where  the 
walls  of  the  cavern  appeared  to  be  about  the  same  as  else 
where.  They  were,  however,  jagged,  and  he  easily 
found  a  foothold  to  ascend  the  wall.  He  commenced 
climbing  up,  and  John  implicitly  followed.  They 
climbed  up  twelve  or  fifteen  feet,  and  when  near  the 
ceiling,  found  a  lateral  aperture,  which  could  not  be  seen 
from  the  floor  of  the  cavern,  owing  to  the  fact  that  a 
crag  jutted  out  in  front  of  it.  It  was  but  little  more  than 
large  enough  to  admit  their  bodies,  and  into  it  they 
crept.  They  soon  emerged  into  a  spacious  apartment. 

The  Hermit  halted,  and  told  John  to  look  ahead. 
John  at  first  could  see  nothing  but  the  ghastly  shadows 
cast  by  the  light  of  their  own  torches.  But  as  his  vision 
became  more  Concentrated,  he  began  to  comprehend  that 
there  were  ether  lights  than  theirs  in  the  farther  end  of 
the  chamber.  Dimly  as  lamps  in  sepulchres  these  lights 
flickered  athwart  the  darkness.  Many  were  the  reflec 
tions  that  rushed  through  John's  mind  as  he  viewed 
these  uncertain  rays,  appearing  like  the  phantom  light  of 
an  ignis  fatuus.  Did  they  proceed  from  the  lanterns  of 
some  of  the  Hermit's  weird  associates  ?  "Was  he  at  last 
admitted  to  the  innermost  chamber  of  the  Hermit's  mys 
terious  habitation  ?  Was  he  to  be  admitted  into  myste 
ries  which  he  had  dreaded,  and  from  which  he  had  shrank 
in  the  forest  ?  Yerily  it  seemed  to  Mm  that  this  was  a 
fitting  home  for  spirits,  here  in  the  rocky  depths,  with 
mountains  piled  above  them  !  Perhaps  a  conclave  of  the 
ghostly  denizens  of  the  Catskills  was  to  be  held,  to  take 
into  consideration  the  best  means  to  checkmate  the 
wicked  designs  of  the  Leech  Club  !  Perhaps  John's  late 
lonely  residence  in  the  mountains  was  the  probation  to 
which  the  Hermit  assigned  him,  that  he  might  be  pre 
pared  for  initiation  into  the  secrets  of  the  supernat- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  209 

ural  agencies  which  seemed  to  sway  an  unseen  but  pow 
erful  influence  on  the  affairs  of  that  region !  Such  were 
the  thoughts  which  crowded  upon  John's  mind.  As 
has  been  intimated,  he  shrank  from  the  idea  of  holding 
supernatural  knowledge  beyond  that  of  ordinary  mortals, 
and  he  began  to  regret  that  he  had  accompanied  the 
Hermit  into  this  awful  cavern. 

After  a  brief  pause,  the  Hermit,  motioning  John  to 
remain  where  he  was,  went  forward  to  the  part  of  the 
chamber  where  the  lights  were  seen.  Soon  the  summons 
came  from  the  Hermit : 

"  Advance  now,  and  see  the  new  evidence  of  the  wick 
edness  of  the  Leech  Club,  which  I  promised  to  show 
you  !" 

John  felt  that  he  had  received  a  summons  to  step  from 
the  bounds  of  mortal  knowledge  into  a  circle  where  the 
arcana  of  another  world  was  about  to  be  revealed 
to  him.  He  hesitated  for  a  moment.  He  was  not 
yet  ready  to  give  up  the  mortal  for  the  immortal. 
Perhaps  this  step  would  metamorphose  him  into  such  a 
being  as  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills,  who  appeared  to 
care  little  for  earthly  things  !  John  did  not  care  to  be 
come  so  different  from  his  fellow-mortals  as  to  take  no 
pleasure  in  earthly  joys,  and  be  amenable  to  earthly  sor 
rows.  He  thought  of  Phebe  Greenwood,  and  wondered 
if  his  initiation  into  supernatural  mysteries  would  render 
him  indifferent  to  her  charms.  \Vould  she  not  dread 
and  shun  him,  should  he  become  an  agent  of  these  mys 
teries  ? 

But  John  had  no  time  to  ponder  on,  and  arrange  these 
doubtful  reflections.  There  was  no  chance  now  for  re 
treat,  and  he  must  go  forward  if  these  few  steps  led  him 
into  a  transformation  from  a  mortal  being  into  one  \vho 
should  partake  of  both  the  natures  of  the  supernal  and 
the  corporeal  world.  As  he  drew  near,  doubt  changed 
into  astonishment.  Instead  of  a  circle  of  mystic  beings, 
arising  in  impalpable  forms  from  the  floor  of  the  cavern, 
there  sat,  on  rude  stools,  two  frail  women.  Near  at  hand 
were  a  few  cooking  utensils,  and  at  a  little  distance  off 
might  be  discerned  a  couple  of  couches,  showing  that 
these  females  must  be  domiciled  here  for  the  present. 
John  at  first  looked  on  only  in  blank  amazement.  P>ut 


210  THE   LEECH   CLUB ;   OR,   THE     , 

when  all  the  lurid  torches  were  made  to  concentrate  their 
light  on  the  group,  and  John  began  to  distinguish  the 
features  of  the  females,  he  exclaimed  in  a  transport  of 
astonishment : 

"  Good  Heavens !     Is  this  Susan  Clarkson  ?" 

"  Yes,  John !" 

This  reply  was  made  in  tones  so  sad  and  sepulchral 
that  he  was  in  doubt  whether  it  was  really  a  mortal  or 
a  disembodied  spirit  that  addressed  him.  The  words  of 
the  Hermit,  telling  him  to  come  and  see  new  evidence  of 
the  Leech  Club's  cruelty,  flashed  upon  his  mind,  and  he 
actually  thought  these  women  had  probably  been  mur 
dered,  and  that  these  were  their  spirits  conjured  up  by  the 
Hermit. 

"Indeed,  Susan,"  said  John,  "is  it  really  yourself,  or 
do  I  but  behold  the  shade,  the  ghost  of  what  was  the 
Susan  Clarkson  that  I  knew  before  the  Leech  Club  made 
me  a  fugitive  in  the  solitude  of  these  mountains  ?" 

"  It  is  me,  John,  and  no  mistake  ;  though  I  wish  I  was 
the  ghost  that  you  seem  to  think  me  !  Then  the  shame 
of  my  life  could  not  longer  bring  a  blush  to  my  cheek, 
for  a  spirit,  John,  has  no  blood  to  spring  up  into  the  face, 
as  a  tell-tale  of  shame !" 

"  But,  pardon  me,  Susan,  I  must  grasp  your  hand  be 
fore  I  can  really  believe  that  you  are  flesh  and  blood.  The 
mysterious  influences  of  these  mountains  have  so  unset 
tled  my  thoughts  with  doubts,  that  I  hardly  know  whether 
I  am  in  a  real,  or  an  unreal,  shadowy  world !" 

"  I  don't  wonder,  John,"  said  she,  "  for  this  lady  and 
myself  have  seen  some  strange  sights,  and  heard  strange 
sounds  since  we  have  been  in  this  cave !" 

"  There  seem  to  be  little  else  but  strange  sights  and 
sounds  in  these  mountains  since  I  have  had  to  make  my 
home  in  the  woods,"  said  John.  "  It  was  not  so  before 
the  Leech  Club  established  themselves  here.  It  must  be 
tliat  their  wickedness  has  called  up  spirits  from  the  grave 
to  punish  them." 

"  I  know  your  story,  John,"  said  Susan.  "  Our  good 
friend,  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills,  has  told  us.  You 
have  suffered  by  this  wicked  Leech  Club  as  well  as  me. 
And  so  has  this  poor  lady  here." 

"  Do  tell  me  how  it  is  that  they  have  gotten  you  into 
this  horrible  place,  Susan  !" 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  211 

"  It  is  rather  hard,  John,  for  me  to  repeat  the  story  of 
my  own  shame ;  but  here  in  this  awful  dungeon,  that 
seems  to  me  more  like  the  pit  of  condemned  sinners  than 
a  habitation  for  mortals,  I  feel  as  though  I  am  as  good  as 
dead  and  brought  to  judgment ;  and  I  can  confess  my  sins 
like  one  who  is  confessing  in  another  world.  Here  with 
nothing  but  the  faint  light  of  these  torches  shining  on 
me,  the  blush  of  shame  will  not  be  so  plain  on  my  face, 
and  I  will  tell  you  all,  John. 

"That  same  Mr.  Sindandy,  John,  who  has  caused  all 
your  trouble,  and  hurried  your  mother  to  the  grave,  has 
brought  me  to  this.  While  he  was  staying  at  Mr.  Shoe- 
man's,  I  got  acquainted  with  him,  and  he  visited  our 
house  several  times.  He  invited  me  to  ride  with  him  in 
his  buggy ;  and  what  girl  in  the  neighborhood  would  have 
refused  to  go  out  in  such  a  fine  carriage  ?  I  see  now  how 
foolish  I  was,  but  it  is  too  late.  He  said  he  wanted  an  in 
nocent  country  girl  for  a  wife,  and  that  I  just  suited 
him.  How  silly  I  was  to  listen  to  his  talk,  but  I  did  not 
know  it  then.  He  said  he  was  only  making  a  visit  at  Mr. 
Shoeman's,  and  that  he  was  not  paying  attention  to  Mary 
Shoeman.  At  last  he  persuaded  me  to  go  with  him  to 
the  city,  and  get  married  secretly.  He  said  he  had  reasons 
for  keeping  it  secret  for  awhile.  I  made  an  excuse  to 
father  and  mother  that  I  was  going  to  visit  a  friend  not 
many  miles  distant,  and  that  I  would  be  away  all  night. 
Mr.  Sindandy  met  me  a  short  distance  from  home,  and 
soon  we  were  on  our  way  to  the  city.  When  we  got 
there,  to  make  sure  that  all  was  right,  I  would  consent 
to  be  married  nowhere  but  in  a  church.  He  got  a  car 
riage,  and  we  were  taken  to  a  church.  He  sent  the  coach 
man  for  a  minister,  and  we  were  married. 

"  The  next  day  we  came  back  home.  Soon  I  found  he 
was  very  thick  with  Mary  Shoeman.  He  did  not  call  to 
see  me  at  my  father's  house  any  more,  but  appointed 
places  where  we  met  secretly  in  the  evening.  I  asked  him 
why  he  paid  so  much  attention  to  Mary  Shoeman,  but  he 
said  it  meant  nothing  at  all ;  that  as  he  was  staying  at  her 
house,  he  had  to  be  polite  to  her.  Soon  it  was  noised 
around  that  he  and  Miss  Shoeman  were  going  to  be  mar 
ried.  I  taxed  him  with  these  stories,  but  at  first  he  would 
give  me  no  satisfaction.  At  last  it  was  known  that  there 


212  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

was  a  great  dressmaker  at  Mr.  Shoeman's  making  Mary's 
wedding  clothes.  I  told  him  that  I  would  stand  this  no 
longer,  that  I  would  expose  him  and  let  the  people  know 
that  he  was  married  to  me. 

"  Then,  John,  what  do  you  think  he  told  me  !  Why, 
he  said  that  he  was  not  married  to  me  at  aJl,  and  asked 
me  to  show  my  marriage  certificate.  He  said  that  the 
man  who  married  us  was  not  a  minister,  but  only  a  bar 
tender  in  a  saloon,  that  he  had  sent  the  coachman  after. 
He  said  he  had  got  the  church  key  of  the  sexton,  on  an 
excuse  that  he  wanted  to  go  in  after  some  books.  Then 
he  told  me  that  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  keep  quiet,  and  he 
would  see  that  I  was  well  taken  care  of ;  that  I  should 
have  a  fine  house  to  live  in  in  the  city,  but  that  I  could 
not  be  his  wife. 

"  When  I  heard  this  I  felt  as  though  I  wanted  to  call 
the  lightning  from  the  clouds  to  strike  us  both  dead.  I 
did  not  want  to  live  after  such  disgrace.  I  screamed  and 
fainted,  and  when  I  came  to,  he  was  sprinkling  me  with 
water  from  a  spring'  close  by.  As  I  looked  at  him,  I 
hated  the  sight  of  him,  as  if  he  had  been  a  child  of  Satan, 
as  I  believe  he  is.  I  believe,  in  the  .wickedness  of  my 
heart,  John,  if  I  had  had  the  means,  I  would  have  killed 
him  on  the  spot,  and  myself  too.  I  screamed  at  him  to 
begone,  and  never  come  near  me  again.  I  told  him  that 
I  would  go  straight  and  expose  him.  He  tried  to  pacify 
me,  but  I  screamed,  and  ordered  him  away  in  such  a  loud 
voice  that  he  began  to  fear  that  some  one  would  come 
along,  and  he  left,  telling  me  that  I  might  as  well  keep 
quiet,  for  no  one  would  believe  my  story  if  I  told  it. 

"  As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  I  was  about  to  start  for  home, 
when  out  of  the  bushes  stepped  my  good  friend,  the  Her 
mit  here,  who  had  heard  the  whole  thing.  At  first  I  was 
frightened,  but  he  behaved  so  kindly  that  I  stopped  to 
hear  what  he  had  to  say.  He  advised  me  to  say  nothing 
about  the  outrageous  treatment  I  had  received  from  Mr. 
Sindandy ;  for  he  said  I  had  no  proof,  and  it  would  be 
hard  to  make  people  believe  my  story.  The  Hermit  said 
that  when  the  day  of  the  wedding  came,  he  would  go  with 
me  to  the  city,  and  that  we  would  forbid  the  ceremony  in 
the  church. 

"  We  did  this,  John,  but  no  good  came  of  it.     I  was 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  213 

taken  from  the  church  by  a  policeman,  and  taken  to  a 
house  where  I  was  at  first  kindly  treated  :  and  I  at  first 
thought  I  was  in  the  hands  of  a  lady.  But  I  soon  found 
that  it  was  an  awful  house,  John.  The  women  were  bad, 
and  they  wanted  me  to  be  one  of  their  number.  Mrs. 
Grandola,  who  passes  for  a  great  lady  in  the  Leech  Club, 
used  to  come  there,  and  she  was  as  bad  as  the  rest.  I  was 
told  that  she  used  to  keep  that  house  herself,  until  she 
got  in  with  the  Leech  Club ;  and  then  her  new  friends 
thought  she  had  better  give  it  up  for  appearance's  sake. 
I  often  saw  members  of  the  Leech  Club  there. 

"When  I  found  out  what  kind  of  a  house  it  was,  my 
only  thought  was  to  escape  from  it.  One  day  I  managed 
to  get  into  the  street,  and  I  ran  for  several  blocks,  and 
turned  two  or  three  corners.  1  then  thought  I  wras  safe, 
and  began  to  walk  slower.  I  had  not  gone  far  till  a  po 
liceman  stepped  up  behind  me  and  patted  me  on  the 
shoulder.  '  You  must  come  with  me,'  said  he,  and  he 
took  me  by  the  arm,  and  led  me  two  or  three  blocks.  He 
then  ordered  a  carriage,  put  me  into  it,  got  in  himself, 
and  the  driver  drove  to  a  distant  part  of  the  city.  I  was 
kept  at  a  house  till  night,  when  the  policeman  ordered  an 
other  carriage,  and  I  was  taken  to  the  cars.  Soon  I  fell 
asleep,  and  I  think  some  kind  of  a  drug  must  have  been 
put  in  my  tea  at  the  house,  for  I  did  not  awake  again  till 
the  policeman  aroused  me  to  get  off  the  cars. 

"  [  was  then  put  into  a  carriage,  and  when  daylight 
came,  I  found  myself  in  these  mountains.  The  carriage 
drove  into  the  mountains  as  far  as  it  could,  and  then  I 
had  to  walk.  Finally  I  was  blindfolded,  and  when  the 
bandage  was  taken  from  my  eyes,  I  found  myself  in  this 
cave,  but  not  in  the  apartment  where  we  are  now. 
.  "  There  is  a  great  gulf  in  this  <:ave,  John,  that  has  high 
walls,  where  one  cannot  get  out.  Into  this  I  was  put  in 
a  small  room,  where  there  was  a  bed,  and  a  few  cooking 
fixtures.  This  lady  was  put  in  at  the  same  time.  We 
were  allowed  a  couple  of  lamps,  and  a  little  charcoal  to 
make  our  tea.  A  couple  of  men  visited  us  every  day  to 
furnish  us  with  provisions.  We  used  to  hear  noises  in 
other  parts  of  the  cave,  and  we  sometimes  thought  that 
others  were  imprisoned  there  by  the  Leech  Club,  the 
same  as  us.  But  we  did  not  dare  to  search  around,  for 


214  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

the  men  told  us  there  were  deep  chasms  everywhere,  and 
that  we  would  fall  in  them  and  be  dashed  to  pieces. 

"  One  day,  John,  you  may  know  how  glad  I  was  when 
the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills  made  us  a  visit.  This  lady 
was  greatly  frightened,  but  I  told  her  that  the  Hermit 
was  my  friend.  He  brought  us  to  this  room,  and  here 
we  have  been  ever  since.  The  men  who  were  our  jailors 
cannot  find  us  here,  and  we  are  at  least  free  from  the 
Leech  Club  at  present. 

"This  lady,  John,  is  another  victim  of  these  wicked 
people.  Her  step-father,  Mr.  Swellup,  wanted  her  to 
marry  a  man  that  she  despised.  Besides  she  is  engaged 
to  another  gentleman.  Finding  that  he  could  not  com 
pel  her  to  marry  this  man,  Mr.  Swellup  had  her  impris 
oned  in  this  cave,  and  she  was  brought  here  the  same 
day  I  was.  We  have  been  in  the  cave  about  three  weeks, 
but  the  last  wreek  we  have  been  in  this  apartment  under 
the  care  of  the  kind  Hermit. 

"  "We  expect,  with  the  aid  of  our  good  friend,  to  make 
our  escape  from  here  soon ;  but  the  Hermit  says  that  the 
mountains  about  here  are  closely  watched  at  present. 
This  is  the  whole  story,  John." 

"  And  a  wonderful  one  it  is,"  said  John,  "  of  cruelty, 
treachery,  nay,  incarnate  deviltry!  Verily  this  cave  is 
the  bottomless  pit,  Mr.  Swellup  is  the  Beelzebub  of  it, 
and  his  crew  are  the  imps  of  torture  !" 

"  John,  I  hope  you  \von't  leave  us  till  we  are  all  able 
to  escape  from  this  terrible  place.  It  is  so  fearfully 
lonely  and  doleful  here  !" 

"  IN  o,"  said  John,  I  will  not  desert  you,  for  I  know 
our  good  friend,  the  Hermit,  wrill  permit  me  to  remain." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Hermit,  "  he  shall  remain  with  you  till 
I  find  you  all  a  more  congenial  dwelling." 

A  couch  was  prepared  for  John  in  a  nook  of  the  cav 
ernous  chamber,  the  Hermit  procured  some  books,  and 
the  three  fugitives  tried  to  make  life  endurable  in 
this  subterranean  Hades.  Their  cooking  was  done  by  a 
scanty  charcoal  fire  in  a  crevice  of  the  rock,  the  gas  es 
caping  through  a  seam,  and  so  causing  them  no  detriment. 
And  now  we  must  leave  them  for  awhile  to  amuse  them 
selves  as  best  they  can,  by  converse  among  themselves,  or 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILL6.  215 

communion  with  the  spirits  of  the  mountain,  who,  they 
verily  believed,  made  this  cave  their  headquarters. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CROSS    PURPOSES. 


A  few  days  after  the  events  related  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  three  men  with  guns  and  haversacks  left  the 
castle  of  the  Leech  Club,  accompanied  by  a  large  dog,  as 
if  for  a  hunting  excursion  in  the  mountains.  Two  of 
them  the  reader  has  already  been  made  well  acquainted 
with — Horace  Lackfathe  and  Mr.  Graphic.  The  other 
was  a  stout  mountaineer,  called  Joe,  whom  the  other  two 
had  engaged  as  a  guide  an$  assistant. 

They  pursued  very  much  the  course  which  they  had 
once  before  traversed,  in  going  to  the  wild  gorge,  where 
they  had  encountered  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills.  They 
again  entered  this  gloomy,  but  grand  and  picturesque 
valley.  The  waters  of  the  boisterous  creek  still  roared 
in  furious  cascades  down  the  dell ;  the  magnificent  trees 
still  shut  out  the  light  of  the  sun,  or  only  let  it  in  in  the 
most  diminutive  specks,  and  these  sifted  through  the 
thick  foliage  as  a  screen,  so  that  all  the  real  richness  of 
sunlight  seemed  to  be  strained  off,  and  they  appeared  on 
the  dim  carpet  as  spots  of  skim-milk  fallen  down  from 
the  bright  sky  overhead  ;  the  rocks  were  as  somber  as 
ever ;  no  singing  birds  enlivened  the  gloom ;  the  only 
sounds  heard  save  the  rushing  of  the  noisy  creek,  were 
the  peck,  peck,  peck,  of  the  woodpecker  on  the  bark  of 
the  enormous  trunks  of  the  trees,  and  the  occasional  weak 
notes  of  that  bird,  so  faint  as  to  cause  the  thought  that 
the  deep  shade  must  have  had  the  same  depressing  effect 
on  the  development  of  its  voice,  as  upon  the  growth  of  the 
sickly  looking  brakes  and  grasses  which  grew  among  the 
overshadowing  forest. 

The  three  men  first  repaired  to  the  hut  or  grotto  which 
Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  had  prepared  for  their  habitation 
during  their  former  visit.  Strange  to  say,  they  found 
nothing  disturbed.  The  blankets  and  other  articles  were 


216  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

just  as  they  had  left  them,  and  they  were  consequently 
saved  the  trouble  of  providing  a  lodging  place. 

They  next  prepared  angling  rods,  and  again  tried  the 
frolicsome  trout.  These  they  found  as  unsuspicious  as 
ever,  and  they  soon  had  enough  of  them  for  a  sumptuous 
meal.  Having  prepared  and  partaken  of  a  repast,  they 
next  visited  the  spot  where  they  had  entered  the  wonder 
ful  cavern  in  which  they  had  had  such  strange  and  almost 
fatal  adventures.  To  their  surprise  they  found  no  traces 
of  an  opening  in  the  rocks.  There  was  a  pile  of  debris, 
the  same  as  before,  but  the  boulder  which  they  had  re 
moved  to  gain  an  entrance  into  the  cavern,  had  evidently 
been,  by  some  agency,  replaced.  If  they  could  only  tell 
which  one  it  was,  they  might  remove  it -again  ;  but  in  a 
promiscuous  pile  of  boulders,  this  was  almost  impossi 
ble.  They  could  only  look  carefully  among  the  boulders 
for  any  scratches  that  might  have  been  received  by  the 
one  they  were  seeking,  in  the  -process  of  raising.  After  a 
patient  search,  they  found  some  slight  indications  such  as 
they  were  seeking,  and  also  judging  from  the  shape  of  the 
boulder,  concluded  it  was  the  right  one.  Getting  a  wooden 
lever,  they  succeeded  in  raising  it,  and  were  not  disap 
pointed.  A  passage  was  found  underneath. 

They  then  returned  to  their  grotto,  to  make  all  due 
preparations  for  entering  this  great  repository  of  terrors 
the  next  day.  It  was  evident  that  some  mortal  or  super 
natural  being  had  been  in  the  valley  since  their  last  visit, 
for  the  entrance  to  the  cavern  could  not  have  been  so  com 
pletely  closed  without  some  such  agency.  They  were 
not  disturbed  through  the  night,  as  on  the  previous  visit, 
but  were  allowed  a  refreshing  repose. 

The  reader  has  doubtless  guessed  that  they  were  in 
quest  of  Charity  Faithful,  as  Horace  was  aware  that  her 
step-father  had  threatened  to  imprison  her  in  this  cave 
unless  she  complied  with  his  wishes  that  she  should  marry 
a  certain  member  of  the  Leech  Club.  Such,  indeed,  was 
the  errand  of  these  men.  They  were  resolved  again  to 
brave  the  terrors  of  this  subterranean  Pandemonium  in 
order  to  rescue  the  unfortunate  lady  whom  they  believed 
to  be  confined  within  its  dark,  Plutonian  precincts. 

Early  in  the  morning  they  were  astir,  preparing  their 
breakfast.  With  haversacks  well  filled  with  provisions, 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  217 

canteens  of  water,  and  an  extra  supply  of  oil  for  their 
torches,  they  set  out  upon  their  expedition.  It  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  they  crawled  into  the  narrow  passage, 
encumbered  with  their  guns  and  other  accouterments. 
The  dog  was  shoved  ahead,  lest  he  might  hesitate  to  fol 
low.  Having  reached  the  expanding  cavern,  they  deter 
mined  to  make  such  marks  in  their  path  that  they  could 
not  miss  their  way  out.  This  they  did  by  piling  up  little 
mounds  of  pebbles  not  more  than  a  rod  apart. 

They  had  proceeded  far  enough  to  reach  the  gulf  into 
which  Horace  had  fallen  during  their  former  visit,  and 
were  surprised  that  they  saw  nothing  of  it.  They  must 
have  gotten  into  another  ramification  of  the  cave.  But 
they  kept  on,  sometimes  through  narrow  passages,  some 
times  through  broad  and  lofty  chambers,  sometimes  leap 
ing  over  chasms ;  but  never  failing  to  mark  their  path 
way  by  little  piles  of  debris.  They  certainly  have  an  al 
most  hopeless  task  before  them  ;  for  how  are  they  ever  to 
explore  all  the  ramifications  of  this  subterranean  labyrinth  ? 
And  those  whom  they  seek  may  be  confined  in  some  se 
cret  nook,  the  entrance  to  which  is  concealed.  But  they 
falter  not  in  their  mission  of  mercy,  pressing  forward 
through  all  difficulties. 

Leaving  them  to  pursue  their  arduous  way,  we  will  ob 
serve  what  is  going  on  in  another  part  of  the  cavern.  In 
the  chamber  where  we  left  John  Woodman  and  his  com 
panions,  there  is  an  evident  preparation  to  evacuate.  The 
women  have  their  heads  covered  with  hoods,  and  their 
dresses  tucked  up  so  as  not  to  impede  their  walking. 
John  Woodman  is  apparently  gathering  a  few  necessary 
articles  into  his  haversack.  The  Hermit  stands  erect  in 
his  full  traveling  costume,  a  short  distance  off,  surveying 
the  group.  Each  one  has  a  torch,  and  the  chamber  is 
more  than  usually  lit  up,  but  the  illumination  is  only  suf 
ficient  to  multiply  the  ghastly,  flickering  shadows.  John 
Woodman  has  apparently  finished  his  preparations,  and 
he  approaches  the  two  women  as  if  to  inquire  whether  he 
can  render  them  any  assistance.  They  all  stand  gazing 
at  each  other  for  a  moment,  presenting  a  weird  tableau. 
The  three  suddenly  start  up  at  the  voice  of  the  Hermit, 
as  if  the  rocks  had  spoken  ;  so  deep  and  dismal  sounded 

10 


218  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

his  utterance  as  it  was  echoed  back  from  the  shadowy 
walls. 

"  "We  are  about  to  embark  in  an  undertaking  that  may 
be  attended  with  much  difficulty.  I  am  quite  sure  that 
the  way  is  clear  in  the  direction  in  which  I  shall  lead  you. 
The  agents  of  the  Leech  Club  are  watching  in  another 
part  of  the  cavern,  and  if  I  get  you  out  in  the  place  I 
nave  in  view,  you  wrill  be  safe.  Much  depends  on  your 
presence  of  mind.  You  may  see  sights  in  this  cavern 
that  will  chill  your  blood,  but  don't  give  way  to  any 
foolish  fear.  If  there  is  any  real  danger,  I  will  give  you 
warning,  and  indicate  to  you  what  course  to  pursue.  Bat 
so  long  as  I  give  you  no  sign,  be  assured  that  there  is  no 
danger ;  and  no  matter  what  else  you  hear  or  'see,  utter 
no  word  nor  cry,  and  falter  not.  Follow  carefully  in  mv 
footsteps,  else  you  may  plunge  into  an  abyss  from  which 
there  will  be  no  rising  till  the  day  of  judgment.  Be 
brave !  be  firm !  be  calm !  be  steady !  and  all  will  be 
well.  Let  us  go  hence !" 

The  two  women  fairly  trembled  at  the  words  of  the 
Hermit,  and  had  he  not  started  at  once  without  giving 
them  time  for  thought,  they  would  have  faltered.  But 
as  he  stalked  away  toward  the  entrance  of  the  chamber, 
they  could  do  nothing  but  follow  ;  and  so  they  regained 
their  courage.  They  ascended  by  the  craggy  steps  to  the 
opening  near  the  ceiling,  crept  through,  and  descended 
on  the  other  side.  They  were  then  in  the  outer  cavern. 

Now  commenced  their  doleful  march  through  the 
gloom  made  lurid  by  their  torches.  Thev  went  in  single 
tile,  each  carrying  a  staff  and  a  torch,  the  Hermit  in  front, 
the  two  women  next,  while  John  Woodman  brought  up 
the  rear.  They  marched  in  close  order,  the  one  behind 
fairly  treading  in  the  steps  of  the  one  immediately  in 
front.  On,  on,  they  stalked,  slowly  and  surely,  looking 
like  an  ambulance-corps  searching  over  a  battle-field  of 
Hades,  to  gather  up  disabled  spirits  who  had  been  placed 
h&rs  de  combat  in  a  tilt  between  opposing  forces  of  war 
like  goblins.  Now  they  climb  over  rugged  piles  of  de 
bris  :  now  they  thread  a  narrow  defile;  now  they  have 
but  barely  walking  room  between  the  cavern  wall  on  one 
side  and  a  fathomless  chasm  on  the  other ;  down  which  a 


MYSTERIES   OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  219 

stone  dropped,  gives  back  no  sound  in  indication  of  its 
having  reached  bottom. 

The  women  exhibit  remarkable  nerve  in  threading 
these  unknown  dangers.  But  soon  there  came  a  trial  at 
which  their  hearts,  and  even  that  of  John  Woodman, 
quailed.  Just  ahead  were  revealed  the  figures  of  men 
apparently  seated  on  the  rocks.  They  thought  they 
had  run  into  a  trap,  and  would  surely  be  taken.  The 
women  halted  for  fear,  and  the  Hermit  not  noticing  this 
went  on.  John  dared  not  utter  a  word,  owing  to  the  Her 
mit's  charge,  and  he  was  also  obliged  to  halt.  The  three 
were  astonished  to  see  the  Hermit  keep  on,  regardless  of 
those  who  seemed  to  block  his  way.  The  women  stood 
still,  trembling  ;  and  their  wonder  and  their  fear  was 
scarcely  diminished  when,  as  the  Hermit  came  just  oppo 
site  the  figures,  the  apparitions  dissolved  before  the  light 
of  his  torch  as  if  they  had  been  but  stereopticon  pictures 
cast  upon  a  screen. 

The  Hermit,  having  missed  the  footsteps  behind  him, 
turned  around  and  saw  his  followers  some  distance  in  the 
rear.  As  if  divining  the  cause,  he  retraced  his  steps.  As 
he  did  so,  the  apparitions  resumed  their  places  where 
they  had  been  before.  And  now  the  terrors  of  the  situa 
tion  were  immeasurably  multiplied,  for  there  arose  a 
medley  of  discordant  voices  as  if  a  bedlam  of  fiends  had 
been  let  loose. 

"  I  charge  you,"  said  the  Hermit,  "  tarry  not  here,  or 
you  are  lost !" 

Then  taking  one  of  the  women  in  his  arms,  he  mo 
tioned  to  John  to  do  the  same  with  the  other,  and  thus 
the  two  females  were  carried  through  this  terrible  pass. 
As  John  came  opposite  the  apparitions,  he  saw  them  dis 
solve  as  they  had  done  before.  John  would  have  faltered 
before  this  array  of  terrors,  had  not  his  philosophy  come 
to  his  aid.  He  tried  to  account  in  his  own  mind  for  the 
apparitions  on  the  ground  of  some  sort  of  optical  illu 
sion  caused  by  the  torches,  and  for  the  sounds,  on  the 
idea  of  a  concentration  of  echoes  remaining  stored  in  the 
rocks  till  they  were  awakened  by  the  sounds  of  approach 
ing  footsteps.  But  afterwards,  he  admitted  to  himself  that 
such  was  a  very  improbable  theory ;  for  how  could  such 
echoes  utter  distinct  words  ? 


220  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

The  little  company  was  obliged  to  come  to  a  short  halt, 
to  give  the  women  time  to  recover  from  their  fright. 
The  beating  of  their  hearts  could  be  distinctly  heard,  and 
the  ordeal  must  have  been  a  terrible  one  to  their  nerves, 
unschooled  in  such  adventures.  But  soon  they  resumed 
their  march  the  same  as  before.  They  kept  on  for  some 
time,  when  again  figures  were  seen  ahead.  They  had 
now  bolstered  up  their  nerves,  and  had  come  to  the  de 
termination  to  follow  the  Hermit  through  everything. 
What  was  their  surprise,  when  the  Hermit  turned,  and 
waved  his  hand  to  them  to  halt !  This  time  it  was  a  real 
danger  instead  of  a  phantom  one.  Their  hearts  fairly 
sank  within  them  as  they  heard  a  voice  cry  out  from  one 
of  the  figures  ahead  : 

"  Forward,  men,  it  is  she !  it  is  Charity  !  and  she  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills !" 

The  figures  ahead  pressed  forward,  but  unacquainted 
with  the  floor  of  the  cavern,  they  were  stopped  by  a  deep 
chasm,  and  they  must  get  around  it  in  some  way  before 
they  could  press  upon  the  Hermit  and  his  party.  This 
gave  time  to  the  latter  to  gain  considerable  in  their  re 
treat. 

"  Back,  back,"  said  the  Hermit  to  his  followers,  "  or 
we  are  lost !  I  know  that  man  who  spoke.  He  is  one 
of  the  Leech  Club,  and  I  once  had  an  encounter  with 
him." 

The  Hermit  pressed  to  the  rear,  and  led  his  followers 
backward.  Meanwhile  their  pursuers  were  groping  about 
to  get  around  the  chasm.  By  the  time  they  had  done  so, 
the  Hermit  had  gotten  his  party  some  considerable  dis 
tance  off,  and  being  near  a  jutting  rock,  they  turned  this, 
and  were,  for  the  time,  out  of  sight  of  their  pursuers. 

"Quick,"  said  the  Hermit,  "here  is  a  crevice  in  the 
rock  where  the  women  can  hide.  Their  dark  dresses, will 
look  just  like  a  part  of  the  rock.  "In,  in, .quick!  Now, 
young  man,  you  and  I  will  take  all  four  of  the  torches, 
and  keep  them  in  sight,  so  that  the  pursuers  will  be 
drawn  after  us.  They  will  think  we  are  all  together. 
We  will  lead  them  off  to  another  part  of  the  cavern,  and 
then  return  for  the  women  !" 

The  ruse  succeeded.  The  pursuers  followed  the  Her 
mit  and  John,  and  in  doing  so,  passed  within  three  feet 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  221 

of  where  the  two  females  were  hid  in  a  crevice  of  the 
rock. 

The  Hermit  led  off  in  a  tortuous  course,  and  was  fast 
distancing  the  pursuers,  for  they  knew  not  the  ground  so 
well.  But  finally  a  danger  beset  the  Hermit  and  John 
on  the  other  hand  ;  for  torches  appeared  glimmering 
through  the  darkness  in  the  line  of  their  retreat.  They 
were  evidently  assailed  both  in  front  and  rear  by  hostile 
forces.  The  Hermit  seemed  astonished  that  the  forces 
of  the  Leech  Club  had  so  overreached  him,  as  to  get  him 
surrounded.  He  had,  before  embarking  in  this  enter 
prise,  assured  himself  that  the  only  force  the  Club  had 
in  the  cavern  was  the  one,  probably,  which  was  now  cut 
ting  of  his  retreat.  He  had  made  no  calculations  respect 
ing  the  force  which  had  first  obstructed  the  escape  of 
him  and  his  followers. 

The  two  forces  were  fast  closing  upon  the  devoted 
Hermit  and  his  friend,  and  there  was  no  way  of  escape. 
At  length  the  Hermit,  coming  to  a  chasm  somewhat 
sunken  below  the  floor  of  the  cavern,  said  : 

"  This  is  probably  the  best  place  we  will  find.  We 
must  take  our  stand  in  this  chasm  and  fight  our  pursuers. 
Get  your  revolver  ready.  We  will  conceal  our  lights 
under  this  rock,  so  they  cannot  tell  exactly  where  we 
are.  We  can  fire  on  them  by  their  own  torches.  Don't 
fire  till  I  give  you  the  word.  I  will  only  fire  to  wound 
at  first.  Perhaps  we  can  frighten  them  off  without 
taking  life." 

The  Hermit  then  drew  forth  his  bow  and  arrows,  and 
he  and  John  crouched  down  into  the  chasm.  It  was  not 
long  before  the  party  which  first  headed  them  off,  came 
up,  while  the  party  which  cut  off  their  retreat  were  still 
some  distance  off.  The  Hermit  drew  an  arrow  to  the 
head,  and  with  unerring  aim  sent  it  through  the  blaze  of 
one  of  the  torches  of  the  first  party,  snuffing  it  com 
pletely  out.  This  brought  them  to  a  halt,  and  John 
heard  one  of  them  exclaim  : 

"  There,  that  red  devil  of  an  Indian  is  firing  arrows  at 
us  !  Level  your  pieces,  men,  take  good  aim,  and  fire  !" 

They  were  armed  with  rifles,  and  instantly  each  man 
brought  his  piece  to  his  shoulder,  and  after  a  deliberate 
aim,  the  cavern  resounded  with  the  deafening  echoes  of 


222  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

the  discharge.  To  the  surprise  of  the  Hermit  and  John, 
a  cry  of  pain  and  rage  came  from  the  party  which  was 
approaching  in  their  rear,  and  who  had  cut  off  their 
retreat. 

"  Good,"  whispered  the  Hermit,  "  they  think  the 
arrow  came  from  the  other  party- !  They  have  mis 
taken  them  for  us.  Our  enemies,  through  a  fortunate 
mistake,  are  fighting  each  other.  Let  them  exterminate 
each  other,  if  they  will.  It  will  spare  our  hands  the  re 
sponsibility  of  their  blood !" 

"  I  could  cover  one  of  our  near  assailants  nicely  with 
my  revolver,"  said  John. 

"  But  why  should  you  do  so  ?"  said  the  Hermit.  "  It 
would  be  like  disabling  one  of  our  own  forces  ;  for  even 
though  they  do  it  unwittingly,  they  are  in  a  fair  way  to 
annihilate  our  enemies  in  the  rear." 

"  Oh  !  I  have  no  thought  of  doing  it,"  said  John.  "  I 
was  only  thinking  how  completely  the  fellow  is  at  my 
mercy." 

It  was  evident  that  some  of  the  party  in  the  rear  were 
hit,  though  not  disabled.  They  were  armed  with  pistols, 
and  instantly  poured  forth  a  volley  at  the  first  party. 
They  were  at  least  three  to  one,  and  the  bullets  rained 
about  on  the  rocks  like  hail.  But  they  were  too 
far  off  to  take  sure  aim  with  pistols,  and  it  was  evident 
that  the  first  party  had  distracted  their  aim  by  holding 
their  torches  away  from  their  bodies,  and  not  one  of  them 
was  hurt. 

The  second  party,  now  with  yells  and  imprecations, 
came  on  as  fast  as  they  could  without  incurring  the  risk 
of  falling  into  chasms,'  evidently  intending  to  come 
to  close  quarters  and  bring  their  superior  numbers  to 
bear,  before  the  first  party  could  again  load  their  pieces. 
The  first  party  seeing  this  movement,  sought  cover  in 
the  shallow  chasm  only  a  short  distance  from  the  Her 
mit  and  John,  but  separated  from  them  by  a  iutting 
crag.  Here  was  a  sitution  to  try  the  nerve  of  John  and 
his  friend,  for  their  assailants  were  only  a  few  feet  off, 
and  should  they  move  down  the  chasm,  could  not  help 
but  discover  them. 

The  party  who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  chasm,  instant 
ly  loaded  their  pieces,  and  again  leveled  them  at  the  ad- 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  223 

vancing  squadron,  and  fired.  This  time  the  second 
party  had  apparently  also  adopted  the  ruse  of  holding 
their  torches  off  from  their  persons,  and  they  suffered  no 
harm  except  the  snuffing  out  of  one  or  two  of  their 
torches.  With  shouts  of  derision  and  defiance,  they 
pressed  forward,  and  as  they  were  getting  very  close,  the 
first  party  were  obliged  to  move  their  quarters,  or  be 
overpowered  by  the  superior  numbers  of  the  other. 
Fortunately  for  John  and  the  Hermit,  they  moved  up 
the  chasm.  Concealing  the  light  of  their  torches  by  an 
apparatus  fixed  for  the  purpose,  the  retreating  party  crept 
up  the  chasm  till  they  came  to  a  jutting  crag  which  af 
forded  them  a  slight  cover.  Here  they  again  loaded 
their  pieces,  and  awaited  the  approach  of  the  other 
party.  The  latter  advanced  and  entered  the  chasm.  ~No 
sooner  had  they  done  so  than  they  received  a  volley 
from  their  opponents,  and  some  of  them  were  hit. 
This  revealed  the  whereabouts  of  the  first  party,  and 
their  pursuers  now  dashed  forward  to  close  in  with  them. 
The  first  party  were  consequently  obliged  to  display 
their  torches,  and  beat  a  hasty  retreat  in  order  to  escape 
the  superior  numbers  of  their  assailants.  This  drew 
upon  them  a  discharge  of  revolvers  from  the  latter, 
which,  however,  did  not  arrest  their  flight. 

The  din  created  by  this  conflict  was  fearful  and  inde 
scribable.  The  discharge  of  firearms  was  re-echoed 
from  a  thousand  chambers,  crevices  and  recesses,  and  the 
shouts  of  the  combatants  resounded  as  if  %  legions  of 
fiends  had  sprung  up  in  every  quarter  of  the  vast  cavern 
to  join  in  the  infernal  combat.  Most  varied  and  inscru 
table  were  the  echoes.  Sometimes  the  report  of  the 
firearms  would  sound  like  a  long  roll,  as  if  an  immense 
ball  were  ricochetting  off  into  the  innermost  bowels  of 
the  mountains.  Anon  the  echoes  would  come  quick  and 
sharp,  as  if  there  had  been  discharges  of  firearms  on 
every  side,  and  from  the  roof  overhead-  The  echoes  of 
the  shouts  also  presented  a  multiplicity  of  phases. 
Sometimes  they  would  sound  loud  and  terrible  like  the 
command  of  a  Titan  of  the  cavern.  Again  they  would 
sound  like  the  wail  of  tortured  spirits.  Then  there 
would  come  a  concentration  of  defiant,  echoing  yells,  as 


224  THE   LEECH   CLUB  ;    OR,    THE 

if  two  opposing  legions  of  spirits  were  tilting  at  each 
other  in  vociferous  conflict. 

The  first  party  finally  retreated  back  over  the  same 
path,  down  which  they  had  pursued  the  Hermit  and  his 
friends.  They  seemed  to  know  the  path  over  which 
they  had  trodden,  and  thus  they  were  able  to  pick  their 
way,  while  keeping  their  torches  mostly  obscured. 
This  gave  them  an  advantage  over  their  more  numerous 
pursuers,  for  the  latter  could  seldom  tell  in  what  di 
rection  to  aim  their  pistols  at  the  retreating  party.  The 
pursuers,  on  the  contrary,  were  obliged  to  keep  their 
torches  constantly  burning,  in  order  to  light  their  path, 
and  the  fugitives  constantly  delivered  their  fire  upon 
their  antagonists.  While  the  aim  must  be  uncertain  in 
the  darkness,  owing  to  the  expedient  of  holding  the 
torch  away  from  the  body,  thus  necessitating  the  aim 
to  be  in  a  great  measure  by  guess,  it  was  evident  that 
several  of  the  pursuers  were  nit,  though  not  seriously 
wounded.  They  continued  the  pursuit,  shouting,  curs 
ing,  firing  at  random,  and  receiving  the  fire  of  the  re 
treating  party.  Thus  the  gloomy  cavern  was  literally, 
turned  into  a  Pandemonium,  the  terrors  of  which  must 
have  approximated  those  of  the  real  Hades. 

The  Hermit  and  John  Woodman  were  in  this  singular 
manner  relieved  from  the*  attacks  of  the  two  parties 
which  at  one  time  seemed  to  be  both  closing  upon  them 
to  their  certain  destruction.  The  Hermi^  believed  both 
of  these  parties  to  be  connected  with  the  Leech  Club, 
and  to  be  in  pursuit  of  the  two  unfortunate  females 
who  had  escaped  from  their  custody.  And  the  Hermit 
firmly  believed  that  these  two  parties,  by  a  happy  blun 
der,  had  become  involved  with  each  other,  while  they 
were  really  friendly  to  each  other  if  they  had  only 
known  it ;  and  that  he  and  his  friend  had  thus  escaped 
their  attacks. 

Leaving  John  and  the  Hermit,  we  will  return  to  the 
point  where  the  two  females  were  left  concealed.  After 
the  immediate  danger  was  passed,  they  came  out  from 
their  -hiding  place,  and  sat  down  in  the  darkness  to 
gether,  clasped  in  each  other's  arms.  It  was  a  terrible 
situation.  They  were  there  without  light,  or  knowl 
edge  of  the  subterramean  dungeon,  not  knowing  but 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  225 

mishap  might  befall  their  protectors,  and  that  they 
would  thus  be  left  to  perish  miserably  in  the  awful  cav- , 
ern.  Even  with  lights,  they  could  have  no  hope  of  ex 
tricating  themselves,  unaided,  from  this  subterranean 
dungeon.  In  the  darkness,  they  probably  could  not 
move  two  rods  without  being  dashed  to  pieces  down 
some  deep  chasm. 

"  This,"  said  Charity,  "  is  more  terrible  than  anything 
we  have  yet  experienced !" 

"  It  is,  indeed  !"  said  Susan.  "  What  if  John  and  the 
Hermit  should  get  killed  and  never  come  back? " 

"  I  dare  not  contemplate  such  a  thing  !"  said  Charity. 

"  How  terrible  it  sounded  to  hear  that  man  shout  out, 
'  Forward,  men,  it  is  Charity  !'  How  they  would  have 
dragged  us  away  if  they  had  got  us  !" 

"  It  frightened  me  terribly,  Susan.  And  yet  that  voice 
sounded  strangely  familiar  to  me.  It  sounded  like  Hor 
ace  Lackfathe.  And  yet  I  know  it  could  not  be  he,  for 
he  would  not  cherish  such  enmity  against  our  good  friend, 
the  Hermit." 

As  Charity  concluded  the  last  sentence,  both  the  wom 
en  uttered  a  piercing  scream. 

"  Oh !  Lord !  what  was  that  ?"  they  both  ejaculated  in 
a  breath. 

Roll  after  roll,  shout  after  shout,  yell  after  yell,  echoed 
through  the  cavern. 

"  The  Lord  preserve  us !"  said  Charity,  "  they  are  fight 
ing  !  Those  are  the  reports  of  firearms  !" 

"  Oh  !  dear  Lord  !  dear  Lord !"  cried  Susan,  "  they  will 
get  killed  and  we  will  be  left  to  die  and  moulder  here  in 
the  cave !" 

"  -Be  calm,  Susan  !  Let  us  kneel  and  pray  for  them 
and  ourselves.  Why  should  we  fear  death  3  Even  the 
slow  starvation  and  wasting  that  we  must  endure  can  .be 
hardly  worse  than  the  trials  we  have  passed  through  dur 
ing  the  last  few  weeks.  If  it  is  the  Lord's  will,  why 
should  we  repine  ?" 

And  that  trusting  woman  drew  her  companion  closer 
to  her,  both  kneeling  upon  the  cold  rocks,  while  she 
poured  forth  her  fervent  soul  in  a  brief,  resigning  and 
touching  petition.  And  while  she  prayed,  the  distant 
contest  in  the  cavern  grew  louder,  more  terrific  and  dis- 
10* 


226  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

cordant.  It  verily  seemed  as  if  a  prayer  had  been  ut- 
^  tered  upon  the  threshold  of  hell,  and  that  howling  de 
mons  were  trying  to  drown  it  with  their  fiendish  dis 
cord. 

As  the  two  helpless  women  arose  from  their  knees, 
they  seemed  to  be  invested  with  new  courage.  They  sat 
mute  upon  the  rock,  awaiting  their  doom  with  calm  resig 
nation.  Soon  the  conflict  appeared  to  be  approaching 
them,  while  it  diminished  not  in  terror.  Now  they  see 
lights  coming  toward  them,  while  the  din  of  firearms, 
and  shouts  and  curses,  are  constantly  echoed  from  the  se 
pulchral  walls.  It  is  the  retreating  party  and  their  pur 
suers  drawing  near.  The  two  women  again  conceal  them 
selves  in  the  crevice  of  the  rock.  The  retreating  party 
come  up  ;  and  the  women  at  first  think  that  it  is  John 
and  the  Hermit  driven  by  their  enemies.  Just  as  the  re 
treating  party  get  opposite  where  the  two  women  are  con 
cealed,  they  halt.  They  are  so  near  that  Charity  could 
actually  reach  one  of  them  with  her  hand.  But  she  sees 
that  there  are  three  of  them,  and  so  concludes  that  they 
are  not  her  friends,  and  she  crouches  close  in  the  crevice. 
Instantly  they  bring  their  pieces,  to  their  shoulders. 
Three  lurid  blazes  flash  from  the  muzzles,  and  three  deaf 
ening  reports  sound  through  the  empty  cavern  ;  followed 
by  yells  and  curses  from  their  pursuers.  The  three  then 
stalk  on  through  the  darkness,  with  muffled  torches.  The 
two  women  could  not  suppress  a  slight  scream  when  this 
discharge  of  firearms  took  place  so  near  them,  but  the 
cry  was  entirely  drowned  by  the  deafening  echoes. 

The  other  party  soon  come  up.  There  are  nine  or  ten 
of  them.  They  pass,  and  finally  disappear ;  but  the  con 
flict  is  still  kept  up,  as  is  evident  from  the  rolling  echoes. 
The  women  again  come  forth,  and  become  seated  on  the 
rock. 

"  Oh  !  my  God  !"  said  Susan,  "  they  have  gone  on,  and 
left  us  here  to  die !" 

"  It  does,  indeed,  appear  so,  my  poor  friend  !"  said 
Charity.  "And  still  I  can  hardly  think  that  John  and 
the  Hermit  were  in  either  of  those  parties.  As  true  as 
I  live  there  were  three  in  the  first  party,  and  nine  or  ten 
in  the  second.  The  second  party  were  certainly  not  our 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  227 

friends,  and  if  the  first  were,  then  they  must  have  had 
one  added  to  their  number-." 

"  Then,  where  can  John  and  the  Hermit  be  ?"  moaned 
Susan. 

"  That  is  something  that  we  cannot  know.  Perhaps 
dead !  We  may  as  well  look  our  situation  fully  in  the  face, 
Susan,"  said  Charity,  sadly. 

"  Oh  !  dear  !  Oh  !  dear !  that  we  should  be  left  to  die 
like  worms  and  bleach  on  these  rocks,  to  be  eaten, 
may  be,  by  rats  and  other  filthy  animals  !  And  no  one 
will  ever  know  where  our  bodies  are !" 

"  Though  our  bodies  be  buried  here  a  thousand  feet  be 
neath  the  mountain  tops,  with  millions  of  tons  of  rock 
between  them  and  the  bright  blue  sky,  our  souls  cannot 
be  borne  down  by  all  this  great  weight.  They  will  rise 
as  freely  as  if  no  hard,  cold  rocks  intervened,  and  mount 
to  a  region  where  light  reigns  as  supremely  as  thick  dark 
ness  does  here !" 

"  But  only  think  of  our  poor  bodies  being  left  in  this 
black  place,  that  seems  to  be  the  kingdom  of  Satan  !" 

"  It  is  no  darker  here  than  the  grave,  Susan  ;  although 
it  may  seem  so  to  us  who  are  alive ;  while  the  dead  are 
no  longer  susceptible  to  darkness,  for  their  souls  are  set 
free,  and  are  not  confined  beneath  the  thick  clay.  Our 
bodies  can  receive  no  worse  treatment  here  than  beneath 
the  clods  of  the  churchyard.  Think  you,  that  the  worms 
of  the  earth  are  more  merciful  to  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
than  any  animal  that  may  exist  in  this  cavern  ?" 

"  Oh  !  no,  I  suppose  not ;  but  it  is  so  horrible  to  think 
of  dying  here  by  inches,  of  starvation,  and  then  to  have 
our  bodies  left  here  where  none  will  know  of  them,  and 
no  friend  can  ever  visit  our  graves  !" 

"  No  matter  where  our  bodies  lie,  our  souls  will  find 
them  at  the  resurrection.  And  ought  we  not  rather, 
Susan,  to  give  more  concern  to  the  welfare  of  our  souls 
than  to  these  tenements  of  clay  that  may  soon  be  as  sense 
less  as  the  cold  rock  upon  which  we  sit  ?" 

"  True,  true,  my  good  friend.  How  wise  and  full  of 
faith  you  are.  I  begin  to  think  I  am  even  fortunate  to 
be  brought  here  to  die  a  slow  death  in  this  horrible  place, 
since  I  can  have  one  so  good  to  teach  me  the  way  to  God 
and  to  Heaven  !" 


228  THE    LEECH    CLUB  J    OR,    THE 

"  See,  see,  Susan,  there  are  lights  coming  !  Shall  we 
get  again  into  our  hiding  place,  or  remain  here  to  be 
taken  by  either  friend  or  foe  ?" 

"  Perhaps  we  had  better  remain  where  we  can  be  seen. 
If  they  are  friends,  we  will  be  rescued.  If  foes,  we  can 
throw  ourselves  on  their  mercy.  Surely,  they  cannot,  if 
they  are  men,  harm  two  defenseless  women  !" 

"Ah !  '  if  they  are  men !'  that  is  well  put  in.  The 
Leech  Club  is  not  composed  of  men.  And  as  for  throw 
ing  ourselves  on  their  mercy !  they  know  no  such  thing  ! 
I  might  have  my  doubts  as  to  our  justification  in  remain 
ing  here,  and  thus  incur  the  appearance  of  taking  our 
own  lives.  But  I  think  it  would  be  fully  as  much  like 
suicide  to  throw  ourselves  into  the  hands  of  the  Leech 
Club.  Let  us  hide !" 

They  again  took  refuge  in  the  crevice  in  the  rock.  But 
fortunately  those  they  saw  coming  were  John  and  the 
Hermit.  They  had  waited  till  the  contending  parties  had 
gotten  well  out  of  sight  beyond  the  point  where  the  fe 
males  were  concealed,  when  they  started  to  the  relief  of 
the  latter.  As  they  came  along  they  saw  spots  of  blood 
oti  the  rocks,  from  which  it  was  evident  that  wounds  had 
been  inflicted  in  the  fight. 

We  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  joy  of  the  females 
at  the  meeting  with  their  protectors.  But  there  was  little 
time  to  spend  in  congratulations. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  the  Hermit,  "  we  must  get  back 
to  the  chamber  whence  we  came.  Our  attempt  to  escape 
is  foiled  for  this  time.  Our  enemies,  by  a  mistake  for 
tunate  for  us,  got  to  fighting  with  each  other.  They  will 
quite  likely  discover  their  .blunder  after  a  while  ;  then 
they  will  all  return  together  to  hunt  us.  I  cannot  see 
how  I  made  such  a  wrong  calculation  in  supposing  the 
cavern  clear  in  the  direction  in  which  we  set  out.  But 
there  is  no  remedy  now  but  to  go  back  to  our  hiding- 
place,  and  attempt  our  escape  again  on  some  more  favor 
able  opportunity." 

The  party  immediately  set  out  on  their  return  to  the 
secret  chamber,  from  which  they  had  started  some  hours 
before  with  a  good  prospect  of  escape  from  their  gloomy 
abode.  After  a  laborious  march  they  reached  it  without 
any  further  mishap. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  229 

Having  thus  secured  his  wards,  the  Hermit  returned 
to  the  outer  cavern,  to  reconnoiter.  He  was  so  well  ac 
quainted  with  the  nooks  of  the  cavern  that  he  would  have 
no  difficulty  in  keeping  out  of  the  way  of  any  parties  who 
might  be  prowling  about.  Taking  a  favorable  stand,  lie 
waited  patiently  for  developments.  At  length  he  saw 
the  larger  party  of  combatants  return.  They  carried 
three  of  their  men  on  stretchers,  made  of  blankets, 
whether  dead  or  seriously  wounded,  the  Hermit  could 
not  tell.  Nearly  every  one  of  the  party  seemed  to  have 
been  hit,  and  all  appeared  very  much  exhausted.  After 
they  got  out  of  sight,  the  Hermit  returned  to  his  friends 
in  the  secret  chamber. 

It  was  a  most  remarkable  contretemps  which  defeated 
the  Hermit's  well-laid  plans  for  the  escape  of  his 
friends. 

We  will  return  to  the  party  of  Horace  Lackfathe, 
which  entered  the  cavern  from  the  wild  valley.  They 
proceeded  without  any  remarkable  mishap  until  they,  as 
the  reader  has  doubtless  surmised,  encountered  the  Her 
mit  and  the  prisoners  endeavoring  to  escape  from  the 
cavern.  Horace  recognized  Charity  Faithful,  and  also 
the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills.  Having  met  the  latter  on 
other  occasions,  under  such  remarkable  circumstances,  he 
naturally  looked  upon  the  Hermit  as  an  enemy.  Seeing 
Charity  with  him,  he  supposed  that  she  was  held  as  a 
prisoner  by  the  Hermit,  whom  he  now  viewed  as  an  un 
doubted  agent  of  the  Leech  Club.  Consequently,  when 
he  met  his  party,  he  instantly  exhorted  his  comrades  to 
rush  forward  to  the  rescue  of  Charity  Faithful. 

The  Hermit's  acquaintance  with  Horace  had  also  been 
of  a  nature  to  induce  the  belief  that  he  was  an  enemy, 
and  a  member  of  the  Leech  Club. 

Thus  by  this  fatal  mistake  were  the  common  plans  of 
both  defeated.  Both  were  aiming  to  accomplish  the 
same  beneficent  purpose ;  each  mistook  the  other  for  an 
enemy,  while  both  had  the  utmost  reason  for  mutual 
friendship,  if  they  had  only  known  it.  How  the  two 
parties  would  have  rushed  into  each  other's  arms,  if  they 
had  only  been  aware  of  each  other's  true  errand  !  When 
Horace  and  his  friends  passed  the  place  where  the  two 
women  were  concealed,  he  was  almost  within  arm's 


230  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

length  of  Charity,  whom  he  would  have  given  worlds  to 
release  from  her  terrible  situation. 

But  in  this  dark  dramn  of  errors  there  was  one  happy 
mistake.  Horace  and  his  party  were  spared  the  painful 
mistake  of  fighting  the  Hermit  and  John  Woodman, 
who  were  their  friends,  without  being  aware  of  it.  As 
will  be  recollected,  when  Horace  and  his  party  reached 
the  spot  where  the  Hermit  and  John  were  concealed, 
there  appeared  upon  the  dark  scene  another  and  larger 
party.  These  were  real  enemies,  and  agents  of  the 
Leech  Club  ;  and  with  them  Horace  and  his  party,  by  a 
most  fortunate  mistake,  became  engaged.  With  these 
they  carried  on  a  conflict  which,  in  the  strangeness  of  its 
field,  appeared  like  the  warring  of  fiends  in  the  infernal 
realms  of  darkness. 

And  the  Hermit  and  John  looked  upon  this  fight  as 
one  in  which  they  had  no  part  or  lot — as  the  contention 
of  two  parties  of  the  Leech  Club,  who  had  become  in 
volved  with  each  other  by  mistake. 

Had  the  Hermit  and  John  only  known  that  one  party 
was  really  their  friends,  and  the  other  their  enemies, 
how  gladly  would  they  have  joined  forces  with  Horace 
and  his  two  companions.  And  the  two  parties,  combined, 
would  doubtless  have  defeated  the  Leech  Club  force, 
and  thus  Charity  Faithful  and  the  other  fugitives  would 
have  been  released  from  the  cavern. 

When  Horace's  party  was  compelled  to  retreat  back 
before  the  superior  Leech  Club  party,  he  again  passed 
within  arm's  length  of  the  one  whom  he  sought,  and  he 
could  then  easily  have  rescued  her  and  her  female  com 
panion,  if  he  had  only  been  aware  of  their  presence. 
And  thus,  while  these  poor  women  were  crouching 
in  despair  in  the  crevice  of  the  rock,  they  were  uncon 
sciously  hiding  from  the  friends  who  were  seeking 
them,  with  hearts  aching  at  their  failure.  While  the 
helpless  females  were  contemplating  in  bitter  agony 
the  prospect  of  laying  their  bodies  down  to  waste  slowly 
away  with  hunger,  and  bleach  on  the  rocks,  aid  was 
within  arm's  length  of  them,  rescuers  were  right  at  hand, 
and  they  did  not  know  it. 

Horace  Lackfathe  and  his  two  friends  continued  their 
retreat  till  thev  entered  the  narrow  defile  a  short  distance 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  231 

from  tlfeir  place  of  egress  from  the  cave.  Here  they 
thought  it  best  to  make  a  stand  and  beat  back  the  Leech 
Club  party,  lest  the  latter  might  interfere  with  their  es 
cape.  They  gathered  some  loose  stones,  and  hastily 
threw  up  a  low  breastwork  across  the  narrow  pass. 
Their  pursuers  would  have  no  chance  in  the  narrow  de 
file  to  elude  their  fire,  and  they  had  no  doubt  of  an 
easy  victory.  And  they  reckoned  rightly,  for  by  get 
ting  the  range  of  the  passage,  they  were  able  to  fire, 
even  in  the  darkness,  with  a  pretty  good  prospect  of 
hitting  any  one  in  it.  Their  pursuers  came  up,  and 
pressed  on  with  the  same  determination  as  ever;  but 
a  few  shots  from  Horace  and  his  friends  stretched 
three  of  their  number  severely  wounded  on  the  floor  of 
the  passage.  Carrying  their  wounded  out  to  the  wider 
part  of  the  cave,  they  were  glad  to  get  out  of  reach  of 
that  murderous  fire.  Preparing  stretchers  from  blankets 
which  they  carried,  for  their  disabled  companions, 
they  retired  down  the  cavern. 

Horace  and  his  friends  were  not  long  in  making  their 
way  out  of  the  dungeon  into  the  valley.  They  placed 
the  boulder  back  into  the  entrance,  to  prevent  pursuit, 
and  then  repaired  to  their  grotto.  It  was  nearly  sun 
down,  and  they  had  been  in  the  cave  all  day.  They  had 
received  nothing  more  than  a  few  mere  scratches  from 
pistol  bullets,  having  managed  to  elude  the  aim  of  their 
adversaries  in  the  darkness.  But  they  were  exhausted 
and  dispirited  beyond  description.  They  prepared  a 
supper  of  coffee  and  such  eatables  as  they  had  brought 
with  them,  and  this,  in  a  measure,  refreshed  their  bodies 
and  their  spirits. 

"  Only  think,  Mr.  Graphic,"  said  Horace,  "  I  was  with 
in  a  few  yards  of  Charity  !  I  saw  and  recognized  her  as 
plainly  as  I  do  you  now  !  And  she  was  in  the  custody 
of  that  savage  Indian,  whose  infernal  arts  eluded  us ! 
The  Lord  only  knows  what  is  to  be  her  fate  !" 

"  There  were  two  females  in  the  party,"  said  Mr. 
Graphic.  "  Whether  the  other  one  was  another  victim  of 
the  Leech  Club's  cruelty,  or  an  agent  of  theirs,  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing.  But,  at  least,  there  is  a  slight  satis 
faction  in  knowing  that  she  has  company  of  her  own  sex 
in  that  infernal  abode. 


232  TIIK  LKKCII  CLUB;  OE,  THE 

"  True,"  said  Horace,  "  there  is  a  little  comf  ort*in  that. 
And  we  have  established  the  fact  that  she  is  confined  in 
that  cave.  Our  only  resource  now  is  to  apply  to  the 
authorities  of  the  law,  expose  the  villainy  of  the  Leech 
Club,  and  get  a  force  that  can  rescue  her !" 

"  I  fear  that  will  not  avail  us,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  shak 
ing  his  head. 

"  Why  not  ?" 

"  You  certainly  must  have  observed  how  easily  the 
Leech  Club  control  the  agents  of  the  law  for  their  own 
purposes.  See  how  they  hunted  that  young  man,  John 
Woodman,  away  from  his  home  when  he  became  obnox 
ious  to  them.  You  know  it  is  their  boast  that  they  own 
the  law.  Should  you  make  any  attempt  to  call  down  the 
vengeance  of  the  law  upon  them,  you  would  soon  find 
that  you  were  appealing  to  their  own  friends,  who  would 
not  be  likely  to  aid  you.  They  have  already  infused 
their  corrupt  influence  in  this  section  of  country,  and 
even  here  it  would  be  impossible  to  make  the  public  be 
lieve  that  the  rich  and  splendid  Leech  Club  are  guilty  of 
the  crimes  which  you  and  I  know  them  to  be.  An  appeal 
to  the  law  would  be  the  surest  way  to  defeat  your  ends. 
For  then  they  would  see  to  it  that  you  and  I  should  be 
put  where  we  could  no  longer  interfere  with  their  little 
arrangements." 

"  I  fear  you  are  right.  Our  only  hope  is  to  keep  secret 
from  the  Leech  Club  the  fact  that  we  are  endeavoring  to 
release  Charity  from  their  toils.  We  must  try  to  get  a 
larger  party  to  aid  us,  and  again  invade  this  Pande 
monium." 

"  I  hope,  Horace,  you  have  by  this  time  overcome  your 
doubts,  and  that  if  we  succeed  in  rescuing  that  excellent 
lady  from  yonder  sepulchre,  you  will  no  longer  hesi 
tate  to  unite  your  fate  with  hers,  and  so  afford  her  that 
protection  that  is  her  due  from  you.  Promise  me  that 
you  will,  for  I  feel  that  it  would  be  cruel  to  leave  her 
again  without  an  authorized  protector." 

"  Oh  !  my  friend,  don't  tax  me  so  hardly.  Why  should 
I  make  a  rash  promise,  which  I  feel  I  would  not  be  likely 
to  fulfill.  Not  that  I  think  she  is  not  worthy.  So  doubt 
ing  a  heart  as  mine  is  not  worthy  of  her.  Do  you  think 
I  would  be  any  more  of  a  man  to  deceive  her  into  a  union 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  233 

with  one  who  has  learned  to  doubt  all  virtue  ?  Do  not 
misunderstand  me.  I  believe  that  if  there  is  but  one  vir 
tuous  person  in  the  world,  she  is  that  one.  Nor  do  not 
think  me  self-righteous,  for  I  know  that  I  could  not  keep 
myself  virtuous  but  by  constant  vigilance.  These  terri 
ble  trials  through  which  we  have  just  passed  have  not  in 
creased  my  conlidence  in  human  nature.  On  the  con 
trary,  they  confirm  my  previous  opinion  of  the  utter  de 
pravity  of  the  human  heart.  How  then  can  you  expect 
me  to  change  so  suddenly  ?  I  wish  to  keep  myself  and 
my  doubtings  all  to  myself.  I  do  not  want  to  increase 
my  own  misery  and  that  of  another  whom  I  should  vow 
to  cherish,  by  placing  her  in  a  position  where  my  doubts 
would  be  thrust  upon  her — where  she  would,  perhaps,  be 
doubted  as  well  as  aught  else.  There  are  no  individuals 
who  are  intrinsically  so  much  better  than  others.  It  is 
circumstances  which  have  much  to  do  with  making  them 
what  they  are.  Even  this  diabolical  Leech  Club  have 
been,  made  so  by  circumstances.  Power  has  come  into 
their  hands,  and  man-like,  they  are  ready  to  plunder,  mur 
der,  kidnap,  and  debauch  the  whole  machijiery  of  society 
to  keep  t>he  scepter  from  passing  from  them.  They  doubt 
less  at  first  did  not  intend  to  go  to  such  extremes.  But, 
in  order  that  they  shall  not  be  overwhelmed  in  their  in 
iquities,  they  are  obliged  to  advance  from  one  extreme  to 
a  greater  one.  So  their  course  is  always  downward.  So 
if  you  would  keep  men  from  becoming  evil,  you  must, 
as  much  as  possible,  place  checks  and  safeguards  around 
them  to  prevent  them  from  becoming  such.  Once  place 
things  unreservedly  in  their  power,  and  they  appro 
priate  them  as  naturally  as  they  breathe  the  free  air  of 
Heaven. 

"  I  admit  that  I  may  be  taking  a  wrong  view  of  things  ; 
that  I  ought,  perhaps,  to  accept  them ;  adapt  myself  to 
them ;  practice  as  much  good  as  I  can ;  even  though  I 
am  compelled  to  do  many  things  that  are  partially  evil ; 
and  derive  what  good  I  can  from  contact  with  others.  But 
it  appears  to  me  ^that  men  have  practiced  this  temporiz 
ing  theory  so  long,  that  there  is  little  but  bad  in  worldly 
affairs,  and  that  he  who  plunges  into  them  thoroughly, 
must  make  up  his  mind  to  throw  conscience  to  the 
winds. 


THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

"  Now,  perhaps,  I  have  been  wrong  to  cherish  this  lit 
tle  thing  called  conscience  as  a  miser  does  his  gold,  until 
I  have  come  to  value  it  so  highly  that  I  am  not  willing 
to  sacrifice  it  enough  to  embark  in  the  great  affairs  of 
life. 

"  And  when  my  faith  has  been  so  greatly  shaken  in 
everything,  why,  is  it  singular  that  I  should  not  have  suf 
ficient  faith  in  woman  and  myself  to  unite  our  fates. by  an 
irrevokable  vow  ?  Better  let  things  remain  as  they  are 
than  to  take  upon  me  this  vow,  for  which  I  know  my  soul 
is  not  qualified.  If  I  am  compelled  to  disappoint  the 
just  hopes  of  an  excellent  woman,  this  must  be  my  con 
solation  :  that  it  might  be  an  infinitely  greater  disappoint 
ment  to  her  to  find  herself  united  to  one  who,  however 
he  might  love  her,  was  lacking  in  all  that  element  of  faith 
in  her,  as  in  everything  human." 

"  These  are  strange  sentiments,"  said  Mr.  Graphic.  "  I 
can  hardly  comprehend  you." 

"  I  am  not  surprised  at  that,"  said  Horace,  "  I  scarcely 
comprehend  myself." 

"  !But  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  would  not  even 
marry  Charity  to  save  her  from  the  terrible  fate  which 
now  hangs  over  her  ?" 

"  That  is  putting  it  too  strong.  I  would  risk  my  life 
to  save  her.  Why  should  I  not  risk  all  else  as  well  ?  Yes, 
yes,  anything,  anything  would  I  do  to  save  her  from  that 
living  tomb !" 

"  Well,  Horace,  I  cannot  find  it  in  my  heart  to  con 
demn  you  for  your  singular  sentiments,  seeing  they  do 
not  result  from  a  morbid  selfis.hness." 

Night  had  now  set  in,  and  the  little  party  retired  within 
the  grotto  for  rest.  The  next  day  they  returned  to  the 
castle  ;  and  the  Leech  Club  were  none  the  wiser  respect 
ing  the  expedition  in  which  they  had  been  engaged. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILL8.  235 


CHAPTEK  XXI. 

MB.  SHOEMAN  RECEIVES  FURTHER  INSTRUCTION    IN    THE  WATS 
OF   THE   LEECH   CLUB. 


MR.  SHOEMAN  had  partially  recovered  from  the  despon 
dency  into  which  he  had  been  plunged  by  the  fearful  out 
lay  of  money  which  he  had  incurred  to  insure  his  elec 
tion.  The  vivacity  of  the  Leech  Club  would  not  long 
let  him  remain  in  gloomy  contemplation  of  his  losses. 
A  "reception"  must  be  given  at  Mr.  Shoeman's  house 
to  the  chief  political  workers  who  had  dispensed  the 
funds  of  'the  campaign.  And  as  Mr.  Shoeman's  worthy 
son-in-law,  Mr.  Sindandy,  had  the  management  of  the  re 
ception,  it  was,  of  course,  a  brilliant  affair.  Men  from 
all  parts  of  the  county  were  present ;  and  besides  the  fes 
tivities  of  the  occasion,  there  was  a  mutual  interchange 
of  views  in  regard  to  the  new  state  of  things  that  was  to 
grow  out  of  Mr.  Shoeman's  election. 

The  promises  which  had  been  made  respecting  the  en 
hancement  of  the  interests  of  the  county,  were  discussed. 
And  here  was  a  new  source  of  trouble  to  Mr.  Shoeman. 
His  managers  had  promised  anything  that  they  thought 
would  help  his  election,  without  any  regard  to  his  prob 
able  ability  to  fulfill  these  promises.  The  tanning  and 
lumber  interests  were  the  chief  ones  to  be  favored,  and  va 
rious  were  the  projects  proposed  to  benefit  these,  most  of 
them  novel  and  chimerical.  But  what  at  first  seemed  to 
Mr.  Shoeman  to*be  a  new  snarl  to  entangle  him  into  addi 
tional  dilficulties,  was  soon  discovered  by  the  ever  alert 
Mr.  Sindandy,  to  be  a  means  by  which  his  father-in-law 
might  reimburse  himself  for  his  unprecedented  outlay. 

"  I'll  tell  you,  Mr.  Shoeman,"  said  a  lumberman,  "  an 
idee  that's  jist  struck  me,  and  I  think  you'll  say  it's  a 
good  one.  You  know  Saxafax  Creek  what  raises  in 
Skunk  Mountain  and  runs  down  through  Whip-poor-will 
holler  into  Chipmunk  River.  Well,  there's  a  heap  of 
lumber  on  that  creek  what  there's  no  way  of  gettin'  to 
market,  'cause  you  can't  run  a  raft  on  that  creek  to  save 


23(>  TIIK  LKKcir  cr.ur, ;  on,  TIIK 

yer  gizzard.  The  rocks  'ud  stave  yer  raft  to  pieces  afore 
you'd  gone  the  length  of  one  of  the  big  hemlock  trees 
what  grows  up  there.  Now,  I'll  tell -you  what  I've  been 
thinkin'  about.  S'pose  the  rocks  were  cleared  out  of 
that  creek,  and  a  dam  made  here  and  there  across  th^ 
stream,  so  as  to  deepen  the  water  in  the  narrerest  and 
worst  places.  Then  the  timber  up  there  could  be  rafted, 
and  a  good  many  people  would  be  benefited.  I've  got  a 
hundred  acres  of  good  hemlock  up  there  myself.  And, 
this,  you  see,  would  help  the  tannin'  interest  too,  for  the 
bark  could  be  brought  down  on  the  rafts." 

"  Cost  too  much  money,"  said  Mr.  Shoeman.  "  You 
never  could  get  a  grant  from  the  State  to  improve  a  little 
brook  like  that  away  off  in  the  mountains.  The  benefits 
to  the  State  at  large  would  be  too  small  to  warrant  the 
outlay.'' 

"  But,"  said  the  lumberman,  "  you've  no  idee  how  much 
timber  there  is  up  there.  The  people  of  the  State  at 
large,  as  you  call  'em,  want  lumber ;  it's  gettin'  scarce, 
and  the  more  you  git  to  market,  the  lower  the  price'll  be. 
The  people  can  afford  to  be  taxed  a  little  so  as  to  git  their 
lumber  at  a  lower  price." 

"  Why,  man,"  said  Mr.  Shoeman,  "  it  would  cost  a  hun 
dred  thousand  dollars  to  put  that  brook  in  a  condition  so 
that  lumber  could  be  rafted  on  it  during  the  highest  fresh 
ets  that  we  have." 

"  S'posin'  it  does,"  said  the  lumberman,  "  it'll  pay  even 
at  them  figgers.  I  tell  you  there's  a  deal  of  lumber  up 
there." 

"  How  much  lumber  do  you  suppose  there  is  within 
shipping  distance  of  th.'it  creek,  in  case  it  was  made  capa 
ble  of  floating  a  raft  in  high  water?" 

"Why,  there's  twenty -five  thousand  dollars  wuth,  at 
least." 

"  But  that  would  hardly  pay  for  an  outlay  of  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  on  the  creek." 

"  But  you  don't  consider  that  the  timber'll  grow  up 
agin  and  the  creek  can  be  used  time  after  time  to  raft 
lumber  on." 

"  How  long  do  you  think  it  will  take  that  timber,  after 
it  is  cut  off,  to  grow,  up  large  enough  to  cut  a-  second 
time?" 


•  MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  237 

"Some  say  fifty,  some  eighty,  and  some  a  hundred 
years.  But  what  of  that?  The  creek  once  improved 
will  be  all  right  forever." 

"  It  won't  pay,"  said  Mr.  Shoeman,  emphatically ;  "  we 
can  construct  a  road  at  a  comparatively  small  expense  to 
gel  that  lumber  out  as  soon  as  it  is  wanted." 

Mr.  Sindandy,  who  had  been  an  t  interested  listener  to 
this  conversation,  scented  the  spoils  to  be  reaped  from 
the  enterprise.  He  was  astonished  to  find  this  back 
woodsman  so  well  versed  in  the  philosophy  of  the  Leech 
Club,  and  he  said : 

"  I  think  youah  friend  has  the  right  view  of  this  mat- 
tah,  Mistah  Shoeman.  This  pa't  of  the  country  is  pooah ; 
the  State  is  rich  and  can  affoahd  to  do  something  for  it. 
Besides  it  will  pay  the  State  in  the  long  run,  for  all  per 
manent  improvements  eventually  benefit  the  State." 

"  But,  as  T  have  said,"  reiterated  Mr.  Shoeman,  "  a 
road  can  be  built  for  small  expense,  and  the  interest  of 
the  money  that  the  improvement  of  the  creek  would  cost, 
would  pay  for  all  the  horse-flesh  that  would  ever  be  re 
quired  to  haul  all  the  lumber  ever  produced  in  that  re 
gion." 

"  But  you  forget,"  said  the  calculating,  philosophical, 
philanthropic  Mr.  Sindandy,  "  that  a  road  could  scarcely 
oe  called  a  permanent,  public  improvement.  It  would 
soon  get  out  of  repair,  and  useless.  But  if  the  creek  is 
improved,  the  improvement  will  last  through  all  time, 
and  be  of  use  to  those  who  come  aftah  us.  We  must, 
in  ouah  public  acts,  have  rega'd  for  posterity.  You 
should  take  pride,  Mistah  Shoeman,  in  leaving  a  public 
improvement  that  will  transmit  youah  name  to  the  latest 
generations." 

"  But  I  think  we  can  make  improvements  that  will  be 
of  more  benefit  than  this,"  persisted  Mr.  Shoeman. 

"  You  are  mistaken  there,"  said  Mr.  Sindandy.  "  You 
can  benefit  yourself  as  well  as  othahs  in  this  mattah. 
You  know,  Mistah  Shoeman,  that  you  have  been  undah 
some  expense  to  secure  youah  election,  as  every  man  who 
is  elected  to  office  has  to  be.  Now,  I  will  guarantee  that, 
if  we  get  an  appropriation  from  the  Legislacha  to  im 
prove  that  creek,  that  you  shall  have  the  contract  for  do 
ing  the  wo'k.  If  the  appropriation  is  a  hundred  thou- 


238  THE   LEECH   CLUB;   OR,   THE 

sand  dollahs,  you  can  easily  make  a  clea  profit  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollahs  on  it.  I  have  known  membahs  of 
ouah  Club  to  make  la'ger'profits  than  that  on  contracts, 
and  make  them  honestly,  too.  This,  with  othah  contracts 
that  we  expect  to  give  you,  will  moah  than  make  you 
whole,  as  we  promised  you  from  the  first.  Then,  money 
that  is  spent  in  youah  county  will  benefit  youah  laboring 
men." 

These  were  arguments  that  Mr.  Shoeman  could  not 
gainsay,  for  he  saw  that  if  he  was  to  get  back  the  money 
lie  had  spent,  he  must  follow  the  instructions  of  the 
Leech  Club.  And  when  the  Legislature  assembled,  there 
was  no  trouble  in  getting  an  appropriation  to  improve 
"  Saxafax  Creek,"  and  Mr.  Shoeman  had  the  contract,  as 
had  been  agreed  upon.  And,  though  this  was  the  largest 
job  awarded  to  him,  there  were  a  number  of  smaller  ones 
gotten  up  in  his  county,  all  of  which  were  given  to  him. 
The  total  amount  of  these  jobs  was  nearly  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  it  was-  expected  that  Mr.  Shoeman 
would  be  able  to  clear  profits  enough  on  them  all,  to 
"make  himself  whole." 

And  it  was  not  expected  that  the  public  would  reap 
any  real  advantage  from  this  immense  expenditure  of 
money  taken  from  the  pockets  of  the  people.  They 
were  not  gotten  up  with  any  idea  of  benefiting  the  pub 
lic.  They  were  simply  jobs  concocted  to  remunerate 
Mr.  Shoeman  for  the  money  he  had  expended  for  elec 
tion  purposes.  While  there  was  a  larger  proportion  of 
money  thus  squandered  on  swindling  jobs  in  Mr.  Shoe- 
man's  county  than  in  any  other  rural  county,  for  the 
reason  that  so  large  an  amount  of  money  had  to  be 
expended  to  carry  it,  and  Mr.  Shoeman  must  be  reim 
bursed,  there  was  a  similar  system  of  robbery  organized 
throughout  the  entire  State,  wherever  it  was  prac 
ticable. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CAT8KILL8.  239 

• 

CHAPTEE  XXII. 

THE    IMMUNITIES    OF    THE    LEECH    CLUB. 


WHEN  the  chilly  blast  of  winter  began  to  sweep 
through  the  Catskills,  the  Leech  Club  closed  their  castle 
in  the  mountains,  leaving  it  in  charge  of  a  few  servants, 
and  removed  to  their  elegant  residences  in  the  cities. 
A  considerable  number  of  them  graced  the  State  capital 
with  their  gorgeous  presence.  Among  the  latter  num 
ber  was  Mr.  Shoeman,  who  had  been  elected  to  the  Legis 
lature.  His  daughter,  also,  and  her  husband,  Mr.  Sin- 
dandy,  who  was  also  a  member  of  the  Legislative  body, 
were  found  among  the  gay  throng  at  the  capital.  By 
the  way,  any  member  of  the  Leech  Club  who  wished  to 
be  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  or  a  Director  in  a  large  , 
Railroad  corporation,  had  but  little  difficulty  in  consum 
mating  his  desires.  These  positions,  if  they  did  not  be 
long  to  him  by  birthright,  at  least  did  by  election,  and  as 
natural  concomitants  of  his  membership  of  the  great  and 
powerful  Club. 

Mary  Shoeman  now  reaped  a  full  fruition  of  her 
splendid  choice  of  a  husband.  No  lady  at  the  capital 
shone  more  brilliantly  than  she  with  diamonds  and 
costly  apparel.  For  was  she  not  the  daughter  of  the 
rich  tanner,  and  best  of  all,  the  wife  of  the  elegant  Mr. 
Sindandy  ?  Their  levees  rivaled  those  of  a  royal  court, 
were  attended  by  the  elite,  and  flattery  was  fairly  rained 
upon  her  and  her  magnificent  husband. 

How  sorry  Mary  felt  for  her  old  neighbor,  Phebe 
Greenwood.  Only  to  think  that  Phebe  might  have  been 
there  enjoying  the  elegancies  of  the  Capital,  as  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Flitaway.  Instead,  however,  of  accepting  this 
splendid  destiny,  she  had  allowed  her  name  to  become,  in 
a  measure,  identified  with  that  of  John  Woodman,  the 
fugitive  from  the  sentence  of  the  law.  But,  after  all, 
Mary  concluded  it  was  good  enough  for  Phebe,  who  had 
spoken  so  disrespectfully  of  her  excellent  husband  and 

T     •         t*      •  1 

his  friends. 


240  THE   LEECH    CLUB  J   OR,   THE 

The  winter,  with  its  gay  rounds,  wore  slowly  away, 
spring  came,  the  Legislature  adjourned,  and  Mr.  Shoe- 
man  was  again  back  among  his  native  hills.  His  business 
and  his  fortune  had  suffered  terribly  through  his  great 
political  adventure ;  but  acts  had  been  passed  ordering 
certain  improvements,  especially  for  his  indemnification, 
and  he  held  in  his  hands  contracts  which  were  likely  to 
more  than  reimburse  him  for  his  large  outlay.  But  the 
particulars  of  this  matter  have  been  anticipated  in  a  fore 
going  chapter. 

As  spring  opened,  there  was  a  general  casting  about 
among  the  Leech  Club  and  their  allies,  to  square  up  their 
expenditures,  and  "  get  even "  with  the  public  for  the 
valuable  services  which  they  had  rendered  it.  There  was 
no  stinting  meanness  exercised  in  paying  off  themselves 
and  their  friends.  They  exercised  the  utmost  liberality  ; 
and  well  they  could  afford  to,  seeing  that  the  public,  that 
is  the  tax-payers,  would  have  to  foot  the  bills.  An  un 
bounded  liberality  *(with  other  people's  money)  was  the 
secret  of  the  Leech  Club's  success.  It  was  this  that  gave 
them  such  power  in  the  courts,  in  the  Legislature,  and  in 
everything  that  pertains  to  the  control  of  public  and  pri 
vate  affairs.  There  is  nothing  like  having  friends,  and 
there  is  no  way  to  make  friends  so  effectually  as  by  being 
liberal. 

The  giving  of  such  tremendous  "contracts"  to  Mr. 
Shoeman  was  only  one  case  of  hundreds.  The  large 
cities  were  the  chief  seat  of  the  contract  system  of  reim 
bursing  politicians  for  large  election  expenditures,  and 
for  enriching  them  besides.  It  was  much  easier  to  con 
ceal  the  nature  of  these  contracts  in  the  cities  than  in  the 
country.  There  were  streets  to  clean,  public  buildings 
to  erect,  sewers  to  construct,  streets  to  open,  and  hun 
dreds  of  little  jobs  where  men  could  make  large  profits 
without  attracting  too  close  a  scrutiny.  It  mattered  not 
that,  with  the  expenditure  of  fabulous  sums  for  cleaning 
the  streets,  they  remained  more  filthy  than  the  Augean 
stables.  The  people  managed  to  get  along,  and  they 
would  only  have  gotten  along  even  if  the  money  had 
been  spent  for  its  legitimate  purpose.  And  if  so  many 
million  dollars  voted  for  the  construction  of  a  public 
building  were  used  partly  for  that  purpose,  while  the  re- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  241 

mainder  went  to  fill  the  pockets  of  the  Leech  Club  and 
their  friends,  the  public  had  a  building  after  all,  which 
they  managed  to  get  along  with.  And  if  the  entire  sum 
voted  for  the  construction  of  a  sewer  were  gobbled  up, 
then  all  the  public  had  to  do  was  to  manage  some  way 
to  get  along  without  a  sewer,  .and  they  did  contrive  to 
do  it. 

And  thus,  while  rather  larger  appropriations  were 
voted  for  these  public  matters  than  were  really  necessary 
for  first-class  works,  the  chief  difference  was  that,  under 
the  Leech  Club  administration,  the  tax-payers  paid  their 
money  for  these  things  without  getting  them,  while 
under  an  honest  set  of  officials  they  would  still  have 
spent  approximately  the  same,  amount  of  money,  with 
only  the  slight  difference  in  the  result,  of  getting  what 
they  paid  for. 

And  so  it  is  plain  that  the  money,  or  a  portion  of  it, 
would  have  been  expended  any  way,  with  an  honest  ad 
ministration,  as  well  as  under  the  Leech  Club.  And  the 
people  managed  to  get  along  by  dispensing  with  those 
things  which  they  paid  for,  or  by  taking  up  with  a 
cheaper  article  than  they  paid  for,  and  the  balance  of  the 
funds  went  to  the  Leech  Club,  who  found  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure  in  spending  it.  There  was  not*  such  an  im 
measurable  difference,  after  all,  between  the  expenditures 
of  an  honest  government  and  the  same  under  the  Leech 
Club  rule.  Under  the '  latter  the  public  simply  had  to 
foster  republican  simplicity,  and  get  along  without  those 
public  conveniences  for  which  they  were  taxed  ;  while 
under  honest  officials  they  could  .no  more  than  have  had 
these  public  improvements,  and  would  have  had  to  pay 
their  money  for  them- as  well  as  under  the  Leech  Club. 
It  is  true  that  the  want  of  these  things  may  have  made 
a  little  difference  with  the  general  health,  and  the  material 
progress  of  cities  ;  but  these  are  small  matters  compared 
to  the  enjoyment  which  the  Leech  Club  derived  from 
spending  this  money  as  suited  their  own  humor. 

If  these  arguments  are  somewhat  mixed,  it  is  on  ac 
count  of  the  innate  difficulty  of  the  •  subject,  viz  :  that 
of  proving  that  it  matters  little  to  the  people  how  their 
money  is  spent ;  it  matters  little  whether  the  public  im 
provements,  which  they  pay  for,  are  made  or  not ;  since 
11 


24:2  THE   LEECH    CLUB  ;    OR,    THE 

if  they  are  not,  they  can  get  along  without  them  ;  while 
even  if  they  have  them,  they  can  only  get  along,  and 
they  will  have  to  be  taxed  in  either  case ;  and  the  public 
money  which  is  not  legitimately  expended  in  the  public 
service  will  contribute  to  the  pleasures  of  such  excellent 
organizations  as  the  Leech  Club. 

The  public  treasury  was  not  the  only  resource  of  the 
Leech  Club  for  funds  to  reward  themselves  and  their 
friends.  The  large  railroad  corporations,  around  the 
management  of  which  they  had  entwined  the  tenacious 
tendrils  of  their  far-reaching,  softly-creeping  vine,  were 
an  unfailing  mine  for  them  to  work. 

It  is  refreshing  to  trace  the  history  of  these  corpora 
tions  from  their  weak  incipiency,  when  they  would 
hardly  afford  pap  for  a  few  unfledged  sucking-doves,  to 
the  highly  wrought  and  mature  condition,  in  which  these 
fat,  downy  birds,  the  railroad  corporations,  furnish  gor 
geous  plumage,  and  lay  golden  eggs  for  those  who  are 
lucky  enough  to  have  the  plucking  of  them. 

In  the  first  place,  a  few  struggling  settlers  see  the  ne 
cessity  of  a  thoroughfare  to  convey  their  produce  to  mar 
ket.  They  form  themselves  into  a  company,  and  con 
tribute  of  their  own  slender  means  to  an  extent  often 
beyond  the  value  of  their  entire  possessions.  But  their" 
lands  and  their  produce  are  almost  valueless  without  a 
railroad,  and  the  settlers  must  of  necessity  strain  every 
exertion  to  provide  themselves  with  one.  Having  taxed 
their  own  means  to  the  uttermost,  they  apply  to  the 
State  for  aid,  rightly  on  the  ground  that  it  is  a  public  im 
provement  in  which  the  whole  commonwealth  is  either 
directly  or  indirectly  interested.  The  company  obtain 
from  the  State  aid  and  franchises ;  not,  however,  without 
conditions  either  expressed  or  implied.  Among  these  con 
ditions  is  an  undoubted  understanding  that  they  shall 
afford  all  reasonable  accommodations  to  the  public,  at 
prices  which  shall  only  afford  a  fair  remuneration  for 
the  money  which  the  company  actually  invests  in  the  en 
terprise.  It  is  understood  that,  when  the  railroad  shall 
have  become  prosperous,  and  the  company  rich,  if 
they  attempt  to  fleece  the  public  which  has  granted  them 
aid  and  franchises,  there  is  a  remedy  at  hand  in  a  re 
sort  to  legislation  ;  that  the  Legislature  has  only  to  go 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  243 

back  to  an  investigation  of  the  amount  invested  by  the 
railrpad  company,  and  restrict  its  charges  to  figures  that 
will  simply  afford  them  a  fair  interest  on  that  sum. 

But  the  Leech  Club,  who  had  gotten  control  of  the 
large  railroad  corporations,  had  infused  their  superior 
wisdom  into  the  management  of  them.  They  found 
means  to  billet  their  friends  on  them,  and  to  keep  down 
the  dividends  to  a  figure  that  need  not  alarm  the  public, 
nor  creaite  a  desire  among  outsiders  to  invest  in  the 
stock. 

If  a  railroad  began  to  pay  so  large  a  dividend  on  its 
cost  as  to  suggest  the  idea  that  the  price  for  passengers 
and  freight  might  justly  be  lowered,  nothing  was  easier 
than  to  issue  a  large  quantity  of  new  stock,  representing 
ten  times  the  actual  cost  of  the  thoroughfare,  and  then 
the  dividends  would  be  quite  low.  And  this  new  stock 
they  used  to  reward  their  political  friends,  and  to  control 
the  Legislature. 

Here  again  we  see  the  beneficence  of  the  Leech  Club's 
policy.  What  they  made  by  an  over-issue  of  stock 
would  be  so  much  saved  to  the  general  tax-payers.  For 
if  they  had  not  made  these  sums,  to  help  pay  off  politi 
cal  scores,  and  reward  political  friends,  they  would  have 
had  to  invent  some  new  species  of  fictitious  contracts,  as 
we  have  seen  in  Mr.  Shoeman's  case,  in  order  to  "  get 
even"  for  large  election  and  other  expenditures.  So  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  Leech  Club,  though  excessively  ex 
travagant,  were  fruitful  in  resources  to  raise  money  ; 
and  that  they  always  forbore  to  take  the  money  directly 
from  the  tax-payers  when  they  could  find  means  to 
obtain  it  from  these  same  tax-payers  under  some  other 
name  than  taxes. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  public  actually  did  pay  this 
money  in  high  rates  for  freight  and  passage  on  the 
railroads,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  \vere  not  compelled  to 
pay  it,  for  they  could  stay  at  home  if  they  chose,  and 
then  the  railroad  could  not  charge  them  a  high  price 
for  a  ticket ;  and  they  need  not  have  their  goods  sent 
on  the  cars,  and  then  a  high  price  could  not  be  charged 
them  for  freight.  The  railroad  company  were  fully  as 
just  as  the  sea-captain  who,  after  he  had  gotten  his  pas 
sengers  well  out  on  the  ocean,  doubled  the  price  of  board; 


244  THE   LEECH    CLUB  |    OR,    THE 

and  when  they  grumbled,  lie  very  properly  informed 
them  that  they  need  not  board  with  him  if  they  did  not 
like  his  fare  and  his  prices.  They  left  the  people  a  free 
choice  ;  and  if  that  choice  simply  involved  an  acceptance 
of  the  railroad  company's  terms  on  one  hand,  or  isolation, 
decay  and  starvation  on  the  other,  it  was  not  the  rail 
road's  fault.  The  public  had  the  easy-to-be-decided 
choice,  "  take  that  or  none,"  and  they  were  saved  the 
vexation  of  soul  as  to  which  they  would  choose. 

But  it  is  not  the  object  of  this  work  to  discuss  rail 
road  economy  or  politics  any  further  than  to  show  up 
the  advantages  of  belonging  to  the  Leech  Club.  The 
members  of  that  beneficent  organization  had  the  best 
pickings  of  everything.  We  have  heretofore  shown  how 
they  flourish  in  the  public  service.  In  railroad  corpora 
tions  their  status  is  equally  advantageous. 

It  is  held  by  some  that  a  thief  would  be  the  happiest 
man  in  the  world  if  the  penalties  of  the  law  were  not 
hanging  over  him :  for  he  is  not  like  other  men  com 
pelled  to  labor  for  the  things  he  desires.  He  has  only 
to  go  andhelp  himself  from  the  fruits  of  other  men's 
labors.  The  world  is  his  oyster,  and  he  only  has  to 
open  it.  But  there  is  the  drawback,  that  the  oyster 
sometimes  shuts  up  on  his  fingers,  and  holds  him  as  in 
a  vise ;  just  as  thieving  rats  in  an  oyster  cellar  some 
times  get  their  tails  caught  between  the  closing  shells  of 
the  bivalves.  Then,  again,  it  often  happens  that,  when 
lie  gets  his  oyster  opened,  some  officious  cook  peppers 
and  salts  it  so  highly  with  drips  from  the  law,  that  he 
finds  it  fit  for  anything  else  but  eating. 

But  members  of  the  Leech  Club  were  not  vexed  with 
any  such  drawbacks  as  these.  They  could  enjoy  the  lux 
ury  of  stealing  with  as  great  impunity  as  other  men  could 
the  fruits  of  an  honest  day's  work.  They  could  steal 
anything  from  a  paltry  little  appropriation  of  a  few 
thousand  dollars  for  repairing  a  public  building,  up  to 
three-fourths  of  the  income  of  the  State  Treasury,  or  a 
whole  railroad.  And  these  things  they  could  do,  and 
many  men  did  not  even  call  it  stealing,  so  neatly  was  it 
done.  But  it  was  indifferent  to  them  what  the  trans 
action  was  called,  so  that  they  got  the  articles,  and  no 
one  could  bring  them  to  account.  They  had  an  advan- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.     '  245 

tage  in  this,  that  they  were  above  public  opinion  ;  for 
their  connections  were  so  extensive  that  they  had  framed 
a  public  opinion  of  their  own. 

It  was  as  if  they  had  free  access  to  every  man's  pocket, 
from  which  they  could  take  what  they  chose.  Surely 
every  man  had  reason  to  regard  them  as  very  benevo 
lent  gentlemen,  if  they  left  him  anything  at  all.  The 
public  treasury  was  to  them  as  the  unguarded  vault  of  a 
bank  would  be  to  chivalrous  gentlemen  of  the  highway. 
If  this  failed,  they  had  only  to  set  their  printing  presses 
at  work  to  making  public  bonds,  or  railroad  stocks. 
They  could  easily  realize  the  money  on  *?lie  former  on 
the  public  credit ;  and  they  would  take  care  that  the 
people  paid  enough  for  freight  and  passage  on  the  thor 
oughfares,  to  make  the  latter  productive  of  dividends. 
Was  not  the  happiness  of  the  Leech  Club  unspeakable  ? 


.    CHAPTER  XXIII.  9 

THE  RUMBLING   THUNDERS    OF   RETRIBUTION   ARE  HEARD  ' 
AMONG   THE   CATSKILLS. 


THE  beauty  of  a  republican  government  is  that,  how 
ever  unscrupulous  men  may,  by  rings  and  combinations, 
get  control  of  public  affairs  for  a  time,  the  people  are 
sure  to  awake  sooner  or  later,  and  topple  these  bogus 
kings  from  their  thrones.  Public  oppressors  and  plun 
derers  have  never  the  moderation  to  restrict  their  nefari 
ous  acts  within  the  bounds  of  sufferance.  Impunity  in 
creases  their  audacity,  and  they  soon  push  their  oppres 
sive  measures  so  far  that  the  people  rise  in  a  mass,  and 
sweep  the  parasites  of  society  off  the  body  politic  as  with 
the  besom  of  destruction.  It  is  truly  said  to  the  great 
disparagement  of  the  Evil  One,  that  he  helps  and  tempts 
men  into  difficulties,  without  ever  thinking  of  helping 
them  out.  So  the  greatest  abuses  under  a  free  govern 
ment  finally  cure  themselves,  and  are  not  perpetuated,  aa 
is  too  often  the  case  under  a  monarchy. 


THE  LEECH  CLUE;  OR,  THE 

It  is  only  a  pity  that  some  method  of  government  has 
not  been  invented  by  which  we  may  be  saved  from  this 
constant  vibration  between  virtue  and  monstrosity.  Un 
der  our  present  system  of  government,  virtuous  rule  pre 
dominates  for  a  while ;  then  the  government  falls  into  the 
hands  of  men  who  foist  themselves  upon  it  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  plunder ;  just  as  thieves  sometimes  foist  them 
selves  upon  respectable  society,  in  order  that  they  may 
have  the  opportunity  to  pick  pockets  and  steal  plate. 
They  carry  on  the  government  for  a  time,  and  soon  the 
dignity  of  their^position  actually  makes  stealing  respecta 
ble.  Finally  the  people  awake,  and  hurl  the  rogues  from 
power,  and  then  we  again  have  a  season  of  measurably 
honest  rule.  Thus  the  government  is  constantly  being 
knocked  about  like  a  foot-ball  between  a  respectable  ad 
ministration  and  a  roguish  one. 

What  an  immense  waste  of  material  would  be  saved  if 
some  method  of  government  could  be  adopted  by  which 
these  constant  fluctuations  might  be  thwarted  ;  what  vol 
umes  of  scandal  would  be  saved  to  our  literature,  could 
some  greak  lawgiver  spring  up  and  invent  a  system  that 
would  preclude  the  possibility  of  a  government  ever  fall 
ing  wholly  into  the  hands  of  thieves.  The  person  who 
would  conjure  up  such  an  invention,  would  confer  the 
greatest  secular  benefit  ever  yet  known  to  mankind,  and 
immortalize  himself  beyond  the  fame  of  the  greatest  phi 
losophers  either  of  ancient  or  modern  times. 

When  Mr.  Shoeman  returned  from  his  service  in  the 
Legislature,  he  immediately  entered  upon  the  "  contracts" 
which  had  been  awarded  to  him,  in  order  to  make  good 
his  impaired  fortunes.  Men  were  soon  set  at  work  blast 
ing  rocks  in  order  to  render  "  Saxafax  Creek"  navigable 
for  rafts  of  lumber.  "  Skunk  Mountain"  was  becoming 
as  foully  odorous  in  the  nostrils  of  discerning,  honest 
men,  as  the  fragrant  animal  from  which  it  derived  its 
name.  All  of  Mr.  Shoeman's  "  contracts"  were  soon  un 
der  way,  and  he  was  expending  a  few  thousand  dollars, 
for  which  he  was  to  get  about  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars  from  the  State.  He  had  not  as  yet  received  any 
thing  to  reimburse  him  for  his  vast  outlay  in  the  previous 
year's  election  ;  but  he  had  the  most  undoubted  assurance 
that  these  "contracts"  would  make  him  all  right. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  24:7 

People  looked  on  in  astonishment  at  this  waste  of  pub 
lic  money ;  and  Mr.  Shoeman,  who  had  not  yet  become 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  nonchalant  philosophy  of 
Mr.  Sindandy,  almost  shrank  away  out  of  sight  as  the 
work  proceeded.  He  was  sometimes  almost  of  a  mind  to 
throw  the  whole  thing  up,  submit  to  the  losses  he  had 
suffered,  and  forswear  politics  hereafter,  especially  the 
politics  of  the  Leech  Club. 

He  as  much  as  signified  his  thought  of  doing  so  to  the 
leaders  of  the  Club  at  their  headquarters  in  the  city. 
This  hastened  the  removal  of  certain  members  of  the 
Club  to  their  castle  in  the  Catskills,  in  order  that  Mr. 
Shoeman  might  be  supported  in  his  faltering  steps,  and 
saved  from  backsliding.  The  charming  Mr.  Sindandy 
and  his  wife  were  among  the  number  who  resolved  to 
make  the  castle  their  home  during  that  summer.  Soon 
the  usual  rounds  of  gaiety  were  again  in  vogue  at  the 
castle.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  easy  philos 
ophy  and  naivete  of  Mr.  Sindandy  triumphed  over  the 
scruples  of  Mr.  Shoeman ;  and  the  work  on  the  "  con 
tracts"  proceeded.  Mr.  Sindandy  understood  the  power 
of  example,  and  he  pointed  out  to  Mr.  Shoeman  the  nu 
merous  "  contracts"  in  the  large  cities  that  were  being 
prosecuted  under  the  auspices  of  the  Leech  Club,  in 
which  very  large  profits  would  be  made.  And  no  one 
would  be  hurt,  because  the  State  would  pay  the  bills. 

And  now  the  consummate  plans  of  the  Leech  Club 
were  going  on  swimmingly  in  every  part  of  the  State. 
The  people  were  being  bled  freely,  and  they  did  not 
seem  to  mind  it  either.  In  fact,  there  never  was  a  peo 
ple  who  seemed  so  indifferent  to  the  loss  of  blood.  When 
the  Leech  Club  tapped  a  vein  in  their  arm,  they  did  not 
more  than  flinch  as  ordinary  people  would  at  the  bite  of 
a  musquito.  When  a  vein  in  the  other  arm  was  opened, 
they  only  gave  the  member  a  flirt,  as  if  a  common  house 
fly  had  lit  there.  Then  when  a  vein  in  each  leg  was 
opened,  they  might  have  thought  that  a  couple  of  good 
sized  musquitoes,  who  had  been  grinding  their  bills  for 
the  summer  campaign,  had  just  been  trying  them  to  see 
if  they  were  in  proper  condition :  but  'the  patient  people 
immediately  settled  down  again,  like  an  old  gentleman 
disturbed  in  his  after-dinner  nap  by  a  foraging  fly. 


248  THE  LEEcu  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

And  now  the  Leech  Club  had  bled  the  people  in  so 
many  places,  that  there  was  scarcely  another  spot  for  these 
bloodsuckers  to  get  hold  of  but  the  jugular  vein.  Should 
they  tap  this,  the  people  would  probably  be  so  weak  that 
they  could  not  shake  off  their  insidious  tormentors,  even 
if  they  would.  Would  the  people  awake  before  they 
were  bled  into  a  state  of  syncope  ?  before  the  jugular  vein 
was  opened  by  the  leeches  ? 

The  press  began  to  warn  the  people  that  they  were  ap 
proaching  a  moribund  condition,  and  that  if  they  suffered 
these  leeches  to  suck  their  blood  much  longer,  they  would 
not  be  able  to  arise  at  all  from  their  stupor.  And  when 
the  Leech  Club  were  resting  secure  under  the  impression 
that  the  people  were  so  completely  bled  that  they  had 
not  strength  left  to  make  a  concentrated  effort,  they  be 
gan  to  awake  as  a  giant  from  a  nightmare.  They  arose 
upon  their  feet,  and  looked  around  in  a  half-asleep,  stu 
pefied  manner,  as  if  wondering  what  it  was  that  had  been 
crushing  them  down  in  their  slumbers  like  an  incubus. 

The  Leech  Club  looked  upon  this  demonstration  of 
their  victim  with  astonishment.  "Why,"  said  they, 
"  my  good  sir,  what  is  the  matter  ?  Pray,  lie  down  and 
go  to  sleep  again!  We  assure  you  there  is  nothing 
wrong,  and  you  certainly  have  not  had  your  nap  half  out 
yet.  Now  go  to  sleep  again,  there's  a  good  fellow,  and 
we'll  see  that  no  harm  comes  to  you." 

But  the  people  began  to  observe  the  wounds  in  its 
arms,  its  legs,  and  every  part  of  the  body,  where  the 
leeches  had  been  bleeding  it,  and  it  was  in  no  mood  to 
go  to  sleep  again  until  it  had  stanched  the  flow  of  blood, 
and  secured  the  bloodsuckers,  so  that  they  could  not  im 
mediately  open  the  wounds  afresh. 

Meetings  were  held  in  the  large  cities,  the  wholesale 
swindling  that  had  been  going  on  for  years  was  even 
characterized  as  robbery,  and  both  press  and  public  speak 
ers  did  not  hesitate  to  name  the  gorgeous,  the  accom 
plished,  the  powerful  Leech  Club  as  thieves.  It  was  as 
tonishing  to  see  how  the  elaborate  fabric  which  the  Club 
had  erected  as  the  stage  of  their  drama,,  dissolved  from 
under  them  like  phantoms  of  the  Catskills.  They  had 
at  one  time  boasted,  and  it  was  no  idle  braggadocio,  that 
they  owned  the  Legislature,  the  law,  and  the  courts.  But 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  «  24:9 

all  these  things  failed  tliem  now.  Corrupt  judges  were 
deposed,  or  resigned  in  a  panic ;  and  soon  it  was  the  case 
that  their  minions  dared  not  take  the  seats  to  which  they 
had  been  fraudulently  elected  in  the  Legislature. 

They  had  placed  their  trust  in  the  power  of  stolen 
money,  and  it  failed  them  at  last..  People  shrank  from 
their  lucre  as  if  it  had  been  proffered  by  the  hand  of  a 
contaminating  leper.  For  once  it  was  demonstrated  that 
even  money  may  come  from  so  base  a  source  that  the 
majority  of  people  will  have  none  of  it.  Ah !  Horace 
Lackfathe,  it  looks  as  if  you  will  have  to  abate  somewhat 
of  your  severe  judgment  of  mankind ! 

Members  of  the  Leech  Club  were  arrested  and  held 
under  heavy  bail  to  answer  for  the  public  moneys  which 
they  had  embezzled.  The  powers  which  they  held  as 
public  officials  were  wrested  from  them  ;  they  were  either 
deposed,  compelled  to  resign,  or  suspended.  The  prop 
erty  of  many  of  them  was  sequestered,  and  held  to  se 
cure  the  public  treasury  for  the  funds  they  had  embez 
zled  from  it.  They  had  to  exercise  their  ingenuity  in 
the  new  roll  of  trying  to  keep  out  of  prison.  Some  of 
them  were  actually  incarcerated,  being  unable  to  procure 
the  heavy  bail  required.  Those  who  had  been  assigned 
fraudulent  contracts  were  obliged  to  abandon  them  forth 
with.  In  short,  the  Leech  Club  were  completely  demor 
alized. 

As  Mr.  Shoeman  had  as  yet  drawn  no  money  from  the 
public  treasury  on  his  contracts,  there  could  be  no  action 
against  him.  All  the  money  he  had  thus  far  spent  on 
these  so-called  public  improvements,  was  out  of  his  own 
pocket.  He  had  expected  soon  to  be  paid  the  fall  amount 
of  his  contract  price;  but  now  he  must  give  up  the  jobs,  and 
the  money  that  he  had  expended  on  them  was  gone  with 
the  rest  which  he  had  squandered  on  his  election.  More 
over,  he  was  obliged  to  become  responsible  in  heavy  bail 
to  keep  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Sindandy,  out  of  prison. 
There  were  also  others  of  his  Leech  Club  friends  for  whom 
he  was  persuaded  to  become  bail,  and  his  entire  property 
was  pledged  in  this  way. 

It  is  not  our  object  to  enter  into  the  details  of  the  pub 
lic  prosecution  of  the  Leech  Club.  It  is  a  matter  of  cur 
rent  history,  with  which  the  people  are  generally  ac- 
11* 


250  THE    LEECH    CLUB ;    OR,    THE 

quainted.  We  shall  only  give  so  much  of  it  as  has  a 
bearing  on  the  characters  of  this  story.  With  the  fore 
going  general  statements,  we '  will  proceed  to  the  con 
clusion. 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

DRIVEN   TO   THE   WALL. 


DURING  the  first  public  prosecutions  of  the  members  of 
the  Leech  Club,  the  most  of  them  were  able  to  obtain 
bail,  and  so  avoided  imprisonment.  They  furnished  the 
bail  among  themselves,  as  far  as  the  public  authorities 
would  accept  the  same.  But  as  the  fountain  of  their 
wealth  was  dried  up — in  other  words,  as  the  public  funds 
were  wrested  from  their  Control,  their  means  were  soon 
exhausted.  They  could  no  longer  satisfy  the  prosecuting 
officers  that  the  bail  they  furnished  for  each*  other  was 
sufficient,  and  they  were  obliged  to  dodge  about  like  fugi 
tive  rats,  to  keep  out  of  limbo.  . 

Even  those  who  had  given  bail  on  the  first  charges  were 
not  secure.  New  charges  were  constantly  coming  up 
against  those  who  had  already  been  bailed  on  former 
complaints.  New  orders  were  issued  for  the  arrest  of 
Mr.  Sindandy,  Mr.  Swellup,  Mr.  Flitaway,  and  others  of 
that  ilk,  who  were  residing  at  the  Club  House  in  the 
Catskills.  Mr.  Shoeman  had  become  responsible  for  these 
parties  on  previous  bail  bonds  to  the  full  extent  to  which 
the  authorities  would  take  his  signature.  Consequently 
the  only  resource  which  his  worthy  friends  now  had  to 
escape  imprisonment  was  to  avoid  the  service  of  the  pa 
pers.  They  had  the  best  facilities  in  the  world  for  doing 
so  in  the  recesses  and  caverns  of  the  mountains.  It  was 
believed  that  it  was  only  a  spasm  of  virtue  that  had  come 
over  the  people,  which  induced  the  prosecution  of  the 
Leech  Club,  and  that  the  excitement  and  danger  would 
soon  blow  over,  when  the  Club  could  resume  their  im 
paired  authority. 


MYSTERIES   OF   TIIE   CATSKILLS.          6  251 

The  warrants  placed  in  the  hands  of  city  officers  for 
the  arrest  of  those  who  had  resorted  to  the  Catskills, 
might  as  well  have  been  issued  against  foxes,  rabbits  or 
other  sn^lll  animals  which  burrow  in  the  mountains.  The 
officers  called  at  the  castle,  but  of  course  the  gentlemen 
whom  they  sought  were  not  in.  The  approach  of  the -of 
ficers  had  been  duly  announced  by  vigilant  watchers,  and 
the  vermin  had  fled  away  into  their  holes.  In  this  man 
ner  the  orders  of  the  courts  were  set  at  defiance.  The 
members  of  the  Club  would  fly  to  cover  when  danger 
approached,  and  return  to  the  castle  to  renew  their  jun 
keting  and  rounds  of  pleasure  as  soon  as  the  officers  had 
retired.  Thus  the  proscribed  members  were  able  to  avoid 
arrest,  and  still  be  near  enough  to  the  city  to  look  after 
their  interests ;  and  perhaps  make  a  telling  stroke  for  the 
resumption  of  power  as  soon  as  this  excitement  should 
be  tided  over. 

Their  life  at  the  castle  was  by  no  means  an  irksome 
one  to  them.  With  good  cheer,  amusements  in  which 
amateur  theatricals  were  combined,  hunting  and  fishing, 
they  managed  very  well  to  kill  time  and  drive  away 
ennui. 

And  where,  at  this  time,  were  Horace  Lackfathe  and 
Mr.  Graphic  ?  Where  were  Charity  Faithful  and  Susan 
Clarkson  ?  Where  were  John  Woodman  and  the  Hermit 
of  the  Catskills? 

After  the  unfortunate  failure  to  rescue  Charity  from 
the  cavern,  Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic,  with  three  stout 
mountaineers,  made  another  expedition  into  the  cave,  con 
tinuing  the  search  three  days.  But  with  the  exception 
01  the  echoes  of  their  own  footsteps,  all  was  silent  as  the 
grave.  Not  even  the  ghostly  apparitions  deigned  to  af 
ford  them  objects  for  an  encounter.  They  searched  every 
nook  and  ramification  to  which  they  could  obtain  access. 
They  by  means  of  ropes,  penetrated  to  the  deep  gulf  into 
which  Horace  had  fallen  during  his  first  visit,  but  they 
discovered  no  traces  of  her  whom  they  sought.  There 
were  many  deep  openings  into  which  they  were  unable 
to  descend,  but  such  they  could  never  believe  to  be  the 
abiding  places  of  human  beings.  They  were  at  length 
compelled  to  give  up  the  search  in  despair.  The  Leech 
Club  were  about  to  leave  their  castle  for  the  season,  and 


252  THE    LEECH    CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  had  no  alternative  but  to  de 
part  for  the  city.  Horace  had  cherished  a  vain  hope  that 
he  might  enlist  the  authorities  in  an  investigation  of  the 
matter,  but  he  could  obtain  no  credence  from  officials  in 
regard  to  the  story.  Or,  if  those  to  whom  he  related  it 
had  any  idea  that  it  might  be  true,  they  had  their  own 
reasons  for  not  engaging  in  a  crusade  against  the  Leech 
Club. 

Horace  now  found  surcease  of  his  brooding  over  the 
degeneracy  of  the  times  in  the  pre-occupation  of  his  mind 
in  contemplating  the  probably  terrible  fate  of  Charity 
Faithful.  How  he  upbraided  himself  for  not  following 
the  advice  of  Mr.  Graphic  to  make  Charity  his  wife,  and 
thus  obtaining  the  right  to  protect  her,  hurry  her  away 
from  the  fatal  precincts.  Not  that  he  craved  unity  in 
marriage  with  her,  or  any  woman.  Greatly  as  he  loved* 
her,  he  could  only  bring  his  doubting  heart  up  to  the  de 
cision  of  marriage  through  the  idea  of  saving  her  from 
the  terrible  fate  to  which  she  had  been  consigned  in  the 
gloomy  cavern. 

Horace  had  been  casting  about  in  despair  and  agony, 
for  some  means  to  relieve  Charity,  if  still  alive,  from  her 
dark  captivity,  but  without  success,  when  winter  set  in. 
It  was  now  useless  to  attempt  to  penetrate  the  Catskills, 
buried  beneath  many  fe,et  of  snow,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
desist  from  further  effort.  How  Horace  passed  that  win 
ter  in  the  city,  vacillating  between  doubt,  hope  and  de 
spair,  will"never  be  known  till  the  seas  and  the  mountains 
give  up  their  dead,  and  the  sighs  that  have  been  vibrating 
through  the  empty  space  of  the  universe  for  ages,  shall 
be  echoed  back  as  the  returning  waves  of  sorrow  called 
in  by  the  sound  of  Gabriel's  trump,  shall  concentrate 
around  the  throne  of  judgment  at  the  last  day.  The 
grief,  the  agony,  the  wrestling  of  soul,  the  despair  which 
Horace  endured,  was  ten  times  greater  than  any  which 
could  possibly  have  been  endured  by  Charity  in  the 
cavern,  though  she  had  suffered  death  by  the  slow  process 
of  starvation. 

When  warm  weather  came  again,  the  breezes  which 
wafted  the  perfume  of  the  flora  of  the  Catskills  also 
brought  tidings  of  the  Leech  Club's  discomfiture.  The 
story  soon  became  common  in  the  city  that  it  was  impos- 


MYSTEKIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  253 

sible  to  ferret  out  the  members  of  the  Club  who  were  in 
the  Catskills,  in  order  to  serve  papers  on,  and  arrest  them. 
Horace  at  once  divined  that  they  most  probably  took 
refuge  m  the  mysterious  cave.  He  sought  out  the  proper 
authorities,  and  "told  the  story  of  the  wonderful  cavern, 
offering  to  conduct  a  force  of  the  police  to  its  obscure  en 
trance.  He  hoped  in  this  manner  to  learn  some  tidings 
of  Charity.  At  first  his  story  was  looked  upon  as  a  prob 
able  hoax,  and  he  could  make  no  impression  on  the  offi 
cials.  Finally  he  got  the  ear  of  a  noted  detective,  and 
prevailed  on  him  to  get  up  an  expedition  to  the  Catskills, 
to  test  the  truth  of  his  statements.  Horace  said  nothing 
about  the  supernatural  appearances,  knowing  that  the 
mention  of  these  would  throw  discredit  on  the  whole 
story. 

The  force  consisted  of  twenty  armed  officers,  besides 
Horace  and  his  friend,  Mr.  Graphic.  They  were  well 
provided  with  ropes  and  other  articles  for  their  explora 
tions.  They  proceeded  to  the  Catskills  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  avoid  attracting  attention.  Three  of  the  officers 
first  aproached  the  castle,  and  inquired  for  certain  mem 
bers  of  the  Leech  Club.  Of  course  these  gentlemen  were 
not  there — had  not  been  there  for  a  long  time. 

The  three  officers  then  returned  to  the  main  body,  and 
the  whole,  under  the  guidance  of  Horace  and  Mr. 
Graphic,  set  out  for  the  cavern.  Reaching  the  secluded 
valley  heretofore  mentioned,  they  encamped  for  the 
night.  Many  were  the  mutterings  and  expressions  of 
doubt  among  the  officers  both  on  the  way  to,  and  upon 
reaching  the  valley.  And  when  they  were  shown  the 
diminutive  hole  into  which  they  must  crawl,  they  de 
clared  they  would  not  enter  such  a  fox's  burrow  as  that. 
They  laughed  in  derision,  and  asked  Horace  if  he  took 
them  for  a  lot  of  ferrets  that  were  going  to  worm  their 
way  through  crevices  in  the  rocks  to  hunt  out  rats. 
Turning  about,  they  returned  to  their  encamping  place 
in  disgust. 

Horace  was  again  in  despair.  He  begged,  entreated, 
and  offered  a  liberal  reward  to  just  one  of  the  officers 
who  would  accompany  him  into  the  narrow  entrance  and 
verify  the  truth  of  the  statement  that  there  was  an  ex 
tensive  cavern  within.  He  finally  prevailed  on  one  of 


254  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

the  number  to  accompany  him,  and  the  two  entered  the 
opening,  Horace  leading  the  way.  After  a  couple  of 
hours  they  returned,  and  so  wonderful  was  the  descrip 
tion  given  by  the  officer  to  his  comrades  that  nothing 
could  now  restrain  them  from  entering  the  strange 
cavern. 

They  carried  an  ample  supply  of  provisions,  and 
were  determined  on  a  thorough  exploration.  Each  man 
carried  a  torch,  and  many  were  the  expressions  of  aston 
ishment  as  the  wonders  of  the  subterranean  vastness 
were  unfolded  before  the  lurid  glare  of  the  torches. 
Horace,  who  had  a  short  time  before  been  regarded 
either  as  an  impostor  or  a  madman,  was  now  a  lion  in 
their  estimation. 

All  went  well  until  a  narrow  defile  just  ahead  of 
them  appeared  to  be  guarded  by  a  force  of  men  at  least 
equal  to  their  own.  The  officers  now  felt  sure  that  they 
had  come  in  contact  with  the  persons  for  whom  they 
were  searching.  With  cocked  pistols  they  demanded 
the  surrender  of  the  supposed  fugitives  from  the  law. 
They  were  answered  by  a  medley  of  hideous  shouts  and 
noises,  the  walls  of  the  cavern  seemed  to  shake,  and 
there  was  a  rumbling,  clattering  sound,  as  if  rocks  were 
tumbling  down,  and  the  roof  of  the  cavern  falling  in. 
Even  Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic,  who  were  familiar  with 
the  terrors  of  the  place,  had  never  witnessed  anything 
half  so  horrible  before.  The  whole  company  stood 
aghast  with  terror.  The  officers  had  heard  nothing  of 
these  unaccountable  manifestations,  and  they  were  totally 
unprepared  for  such  an  infernal  demonstration.  But 
Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  were  only  less  terrified  than 
the  others.  The  officers  embraced  and  clung  to  each 
other,  some  uttering  ejaculatory  prayers,  some  giving 
vent  to  imprecations,  and  all  acting  as  if  they  considered 
their  last  moment  at  hand. 

As  the  tumult  ceased,  and  the  officers  had,  in  a  meas 
ure,  regained  their  nerve,  they  discharged  their  pistols  at 
the  semblances  of  men,  who  still  appeared  to  guard  the 
defile.  The  echoing  reports  of  the  pistols  were  inter 
mingled  with  another  bedlam  of  hideous  noises  and 
rumbling  of  falling  rocks,  and  apparent  shaking  of  the 
walls  around  them.  This  time  many  thought  they  saw 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATS  KILLS.  255 

» 

large  fragments  of  rock  fall  from  the  roof  just  ahead  of 
them.  Horace  had  by  this  time  braced  his  courage  up 
to  the  emergency  and  he  shouted  out : 

"  Onward,  men !  They  are  nothing  that  can  hurt 
you  !  See  how  I  will  beard  these  goblins  on  their  own 
ground !" 

Horace  and  Mr.  Graphic  rushed  forward,  and  as  they 
came  opposite  the  apparitions,  the  latter  dissolved  before 
the  torches,  but  resumed  their  places  as  the  torches  got 
beyond  them.  Horace  and  his  friend,  after  running 
this  hideous  gauntlet,  halted.  There  were  the  appari 
tions  the  same  as  before,  wrhile  the  officers  stood  as  if 
hesitating  whether  to  follow  or  retreat.  Horace  shouted 
to  them  to  come  on,  but  as  this  was  answered  by  another 
hideous  demonstration  similar  to  the  other  two,  the  offi 
cers  turned  and  fled  in  a  panic.  They  retreated  till  they 
got  out  of  sight  of  the  apparitions,  and  then  halted,  not 
being  certain  which  way  to  proceed. 

"  I  really  believe,"  said  one  of  the  demoralized  officers, 
"  that  that  Horace  Lackfathe  is  the  devil  himself,  and 
that  he  has  got  us  in  here  for  some  of  his  infernal 
purposes  !  I  have  all  the  time  thought  there  was  some 
thing  wrong  about  him." 

"  He  and  his  friend  must  be  in  league^with  them  gob 
lins,"  said  another,  "or  they'd  never  run* up  among  them 
as  they  did." 

"  Men,"  said  the  leader  of  the  officers,  "  I  am  ashamed 
of  you,  to  think  -that  you  backed  out  from  following  a 
couple  of  civilians  into  danger.  Didn't  you  hear  the 
two  civilians  shout,  '  it  is  nothing  that  can  hurt  you  ?' 
I'll  warrant  that  this  is  nothing  but  some  trick  got  up 
by  the  Leech  Club  to  frighten  us  away,  and  those  two 
men  that  went  ahead  understood  it  so.  Now,  men,  you 
must  follow  me  through  that  passage,  goblins,  or  no 
goblins  !  Not  even  if  the  roof  of  the  cavern  falls  in  on 
us  must  we  retreat.  The  first  man  that  flinches,  I  will 
have  him  cashiered  for  cowardice.  Right  about  face, 
now  !  Forward !" 

There  was  no  chance  for  expostulation.  This  brief, 
determined  speech  of  the  leader,  arid  the  discipline  to 
which  the  men  were  accustomed,  did  the  work.  They 
would  probablv  have  followed  their  chief  through  the 


256  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

* 

fires  of  Pandemonium  itself,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of 
being  reported  for  cowardice.  As  they  advanced,  they 
met  Horace  and  his  friend  coming  to  seek  them.  The 
chief  cried  out  to  them  to  lead  the  way,  and  that  he  and 
his  men  would  follow.  Without  another  word  the 
whole  company  now  proceeded  through  the  narrow  de 
file.  But  the  apparitions,  as  if  awed  by  the  determined 
advance,  had  vanished,  and  the  company  passed  through 
without  encountering  another  exhibition  of  terrors. 

A  dreary  round  of  searching  through  chambers,  nar 
row  passages,  crannies,  and  chasms,  now  took  place. 
Precautions  were  taken  to  guard  against  becoming  lost 
in  the  cavern.  ^The  deep  gulf,  heretofore  mentioned, 
was  entered  by  means  of  ropes,  and  explored,  as  far  as 
its  unfathomable  chasms  would  permit.  No  perceivable 
chamber  or  recess,  which  was  accessible,  was  left  un vis 
ited  ;  but  even  then  the  explorers  were  compelled  to  ad 
mit  to  themselves  that  there  might  be  a  hundred  secret 
chambers,  the  entrances  to  which  could  be  easily  con 
cealed.  The  difficulties  of  the  task  were  so  apparent 
that  the  officers  declared  that  the  Leech  Club  had,  in 
this  cave,  a  hiding  place  from  which  they  could  never  be 
imearthed,  till  the  fires  of  the  last  day  of  the  world 
should  smoke  them  from  their  burrows. 

As  they  threaded  their  uncertain  way  in  the  bot 
tom  of  the  gulf,  near  the  base  of  its  boundary  wall  of 
rock,  Horace  Lackfathe  caught  sight  of  a  momentary 
gleam  of  light  above  them  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
cavern.  It  appeared  like  a  beam  from  a  dark  lantern, 
which  was  instantly  obscured.  He  kept  his  eye  on  the 
point  from  which  the  light  appeared.  Soon  he  saw  it 
again,  and  this  time  it  lit  up  the  weird  features  of  a  man, 
which  Horace  recognized.  He  was  certain  that  he 
could  not  be  mistaken.  It  was  the  Hermit  of  the  Cats- 
kills!  The  outlines  of  his  strange  countenance  were 
struck  out  in  the  darkness  like  a  spirit  photograph 
thrown  upon  the  background  of  murky  night.  The 
flash  of  light  which  revealed  this  face,  was  but  momen 
tary,  and  the  beam  of -light  was  instantly  concealed. 
Had  not  Horace  been  certain  that  he  knew  the  face, 
he  would  have  thought  it  was  one  of  those  unaccounta- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS. 


257 


ble,   supernatural  appearances,  which   he  had   so   many 
times  encountered. 

Without  saying  a  word  that  would  have  brought  the 
band  to  a  halt,  and  thus  given  an  intimation  to  the 
strange  individual,  who  was  apparently  watching  them, 
that  he  was  observed,  Horace  made  his  way  to  the  chief 
officer,  and  imparted  to  him  the  information,  briefly  re 
capitulating  what  he  knew  of  the  Hermit  of  the  Gats- 
kills,  and  expressing  the  opinion  that  he  was  in  league 
with  the  Leech  Club.  A  plan  was  soon  concocted  to 
make  two  flank  movements  upon  the  Hermit.  But,  in 
order  not  to  excite  suspicion,  the  present  line  of  march 
was  continued  for  a  while  longer.  In  the  meantime  the 
leader  called  his  lieutenant  to  his  side  and*imparted  to 
him  his  plan.  The  force  was  divided,  and  part  of  it  be 
gan  a  counter-march.  The  plan  was  to  head  the  Hermit 
off  on  either  hand.  The  two  parties  proceeded  in  oppo 
site  directions  as  far  as  was  thought  to  be  necessary,  and 
then  each  prepared  to  ascend  the  wall  out  of  the  gulf. 
In  order  that  they  might  readily  do  so,  each  was  pro 
vided  with  ropes,  and  each  had  a  staff  which  could  ba 
spliced  in  sections  till  it  reached  a  length  of  fifty  feet. 
On  the  end  of  this  staff  was  a  hook  to  hold  the  rope.  > 
By  means  of  this  arrangement  the  rope  could  be  fastened 
in  a  loop  around  a  crag  of  rock  above,  on  the  top  of  the 
ledge,  which  hemmed,  in  the  gulf.  The  rope  was  pro 
vided  throughout  its  entire  length  with  small  loops, 
within  stepping  distance,  up  which  a  man  could  ascend 
with  ease.  In  this  manner  the  two  parties,  at  points  a 
considerable  distance  apart,  ascended  out  of  the  gulf 
'simultaneously.  They  then  began  to  approach  each 
other.  Now  if  the  Hermit  is  between  these  two  par 
ties,  he  is  hemmed  in  by  them,  and  the  perpendicular 
wall  of  the  gulf  on  one  hand,  and  the  cavern  wall  on  the 
other.  If  he  is  in  this  situation,  he  must  either  leap 
down  a  precipice  fifty  feet,  disappear  in  the  cavern  wall, 
or  be  captured. 

The  two  parties  moved  slowly  toward  each  other,  over 
the  dangerous  floor  of  the  cavern.  Horace  marched  in 
front  of  one  of  the  parties,  with  eyes  alert.  At  length 
he  saw  another  momentary  gleam  of  light,  a  short  dis 
tance  ahead,  this  time  apparently  about  half-way  up  the 


258  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

cavern  wall.  At  once  the  thought  darted  upon  Hor 
ace's  mind  that  it  was  the  Hermit  escaping  in  the  strange 
and  unaccountable  manner  that  he  had  known  him  to  do 
on  other  occasions.  Horace  hastily  asked  tbe  nearest 
officer  to  follow,  and  rushed  forward  to  the  spot.  As 
the  two  reached  the  place  they  held  their  torches  aloft, 
and  actually  saw  the  semblance  of  a  man  disappear,  as  if 
in  the  rock,  close  to  the  roof  of  the  cavern.  They  waited 
till  the  two  parties  came  up,  and  then  told  what  they 
had  seen.  No  one  doubted  their  story,  for  this  was 
nothing  compared  to  the  wonders  that  had  previously 
been  exhibited. 

"  Well,"  said  the  chief  officer,  "  I  see  no  use  in  con 
tinuing  this  search  longer.  There  is  nothing  solid  and 
tangible  here  but  the  rocks ;  and  even  they  present  no 
barrier  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  infernal  cave.  We  are 
all  the  victims  of  some  tremendous  delusion,  or  this 
cave  is  the  abode  of  goblins  and  devils." 

"  True  for  you,"  said  one  of  the  subordinates ;  "  I've 
thought  for  some  time  that  we  have  only  been  chasin'  the 
shadders  of  the  devil  and  his  imps." 

"  Yes,"  said  another,  "  and  I've  been  expectin'  all  the 
time  to  see  these  rocks  open  and  swaller  us  up  into  hell- 
fire.  But  as  long  as  the  capt'n  said  foller,  I  ain't  the  man 
to  back  down.  If  he  chooses  to  lead  the  way  into  fire 
and  brimstone  with  all  the  imps  of  pergertory  howl- 
in'  around  like  they  did  back  yender,  here's  what  goes 
with  him." 

"  That's  me,  too,"  said  another,  "  but  it  goes  awfully 
agin  the  grain  to  fight  with  bein's  that  can't  feel  a  hard 
knock,  and  chase  shadders  that  dissolve  into  worse  than 
nothin'  when  you  git  within  strikin'  distance  of  them." 

"  I,"  said  another,  "  'drether  go  for  six  men  of  real 
flesh  and  bones  than  one  of  them  cussed  spirits,  that  only 
seem  to  be  enticin'  you  on  to  some  deep  hole,  where 
per'aps  you'll  fall  into  a  brimstone  lake  ;  for,  I  tell  you, 
boys,  I've  actily  smelt  brimstone  to-day,  I  have !" 

"  Faith !"  said  an  Irish  officer,  "  and  1  smilled  that  same 
mesel'.  And  I  was  a  wonderin',  should  I  die  here, 
whether  the  praste  could  iver  say  masses  enough  to  git 
me  sowl  out  of  this  divilish  pit.  For  it  is  nayther  pur- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  259 

getory  nor  hell.  It's  worse  nor  'em  both,  sure.  There's 
nothin'  in  the  prayer  book  about  this  place." 

"  Never  fear,  Larry,"  said  the  chief  officer,  "  if  you 
die  here,  the  devil  won't  be  able  to  find  you,  and  the 
money  for  the  masses  will  all  be  saved  for  your  family." 

"  And  niver  find  me,  is  it  you  say  the  divil  niver 
would  !  Indade,  an'  I  think  he's  found  us  all  purty  well. 
I'll  warrant  he'll  give  yer  honor  a  good  snug  berth  for 
bringin'  him  such  a  nne  rayenforcernent.  Ye'll  most 
likely,  afore  long,  be  a  ladin'  just  such  a  band  of  raga 
muffin  goblins  as  them  we  met  soon  afther  comin'  into 
this  sink  hole  o'  hell,  bad  cess  to  it." 

Notwithstanding  the  gloom  of  the  situation,  a  laugh 
followed  this  speech.  And  as  this  slight  burst  of  merri 
ment  was  echoed  in  hollow  tones  among  the  rocks,  it 
sounded  like  the  sardonic  mirth  of  the  infernal  regions, 
if  we  may  be  allowed  to  conjecture  the  nature  of  the 
same.  As  it  subsided,  the  chief  said : 

"  I  don't  crave  the  honor  of  such  a  command,  Larry." 

"  True,  indade,  there's  prishes  little  honor  about  ony 
of  it.  But  the  divil  niver  asks  men  if  they  likes  the 
honorable  posations  in  his  kingdom.  Wonst  let  them  git 
to  be  his  subjects,  and  if  he  haypens  to  want  a  clerk,  he 
just  says,  '  Mister  So-and-So,  you  can  take  ye'r  seat  at 
that  red-hot  table  there,  and  kape  the  day  book.  Then 
he  whales  him  up  a  red-hot  chair,  and  gives  him  a  pen 
hotter  nor  a  rod  of  iron  from  a  blacksmith's  forge,  and 
melted  iron  for  ink.  Sure  an'  the  divil's  honors  are  give 
in  the  same  spirit  as  them  of  that  great  instetooshon,  the 
State's  preson.  It's  worse  nor  what  you  call  Hobbs' 
son's  choice,  '  Take  this  or  none.' .  You  must  take  it 
anyhow,  whether  nor  you  want  it  or  not,  sure  !" 

"  Well,  Larry,  I  judge  from  your  description,  it's  no 
sinecure  office  to  be  the  devil's  bookkeeper,  whatever 
the  other  honorable  positions  within  his  gift  may  be." 

"  As  for  that,  the  posations  are  all  alike.  Ye  may  be 
jist  about  as  thaynkful  to  Baelzebub  for  his  honors  as  ye 
would  have  ray  son  to  be,  sure,  to  any  rich  man  as  would 
pour  melted  gold  all  over  ye,  and  say,  '  There,  now,  troth, 
and  haint  I  made  ye  rich !' ' 

"  Why,  Larry,  you  know  so  much  about  the  devil  and 
his  ways,  you  must  have  made  him  a  visit  some  time." 


2GO        THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

"Faith,  an'  it's  yersel'  that  introduced  me  to  his  estab 
lishment  ;  for  hain't  we  all  made  him  a  visit  this  very 
day,  sure  ?" 

Another  doleful  laugh  followed  this  repartee,  in  which 
the  chief  officer  joined. 

While  this  doleful  badinage  was  going  on,  Horace  Lack- 
fathe  was  examining  the  cavern  wall,  into  which  the 
strange  individual  had  been  seen  to  disappear.  He  soon 
discovered  that  the  rocky  wall  was  here  jagged,  and  that 
a  foothold  could  be  obtained  sufficient  to  ascend  it.  Ac 
companied  by  Mr.  Graphic,  he  climbed  up  to  the  roof. 
After  a  careful  examination,  he  discovered  an  aperture 
large  enough  for  a  person  to  crawl  through.  He  entered 
this  without  a  light  far  enough  to  satisfy  himself  that 
there  was  an  open  chamber  on  the  other  side.  He  now 
felt  convinced  that  he  had  found  the  chamber  into  which 
the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills  had  escaped.  Returning,  he 
communicated  his  discovery  to  the  officers. 

Immediately  the  whole  company  commenced  clambering 
up  the  side  by  the  natural  and  irregular  steps  which  Horace 
had  discovered.  Horace  was  the  first  to  enter  the  narrow 
aperture,  followed  by  Mr.  Graphic.  As  Horace  emerged 
into  the  inner  chamber,  he  was  obliged  to  display  his 
torch.  Though  he  was  seeking  to  find  human  beings,  his 
surprise  was  immeasurable  on  discovering  through  the 
gloom  a  group  of  persons  in  the  farther  portion  of  the 
chamber.  The  light  which  revealed  them  was  so  dim 
that  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  anything  more  than 
that  they  were  persons,  or  at  least  the  semblances  of  such. 
No  sooner  had  the  torch  been,  displayed  through  the 
aperture,  than  there  was.  evidently  a  great  commotion 
among  the  inmates  of  the  chamber,  and  Horace  thought 
that  he  heard  the  shrieks  of  w^omen.  He  was  not  long, 
however,  left  in  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  one  of  the 
inmates,  at  least,  for  he  heard  a  voice,  unmistakably  that 
of  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills  : 

"  On  your  life,  I  charge  you,  retire,  or  you  are  a  dead 
man!  We  are  armed,  and  I  will  convince  you  that  you 
are  entirely  at  our  mercy!  The  messenger  which  I  shall 
send  you,  would  take  your  life,  if  I  so  willed  ! 

An  arrow  struck  and  shivered  upon  the  rock  close  to 
Horace.  There  was  no  alternative  but  for  him  to  with- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  261 

draw  into  the  aperture.  He  communicated  with  the  chief 
officer,  and  the  two  began  to  confer  together,  as  if  to  de 
vise  some  means  to  avoid  the  loss  of  life.  The  case  was 
one  of  extraordinary  difficulty.  The  aperture  would  ad 
mit  but  one  person  through  at  once,  and  Horace  could 
see  no  steps  in  the  rock  by  which  to  descend  into  the 
chamber ;  and  as  far  as  he  knew,  there  was  no  method 
but  the  slow  process  of  letting  themselves  down  into  the 
chamber  by  ropes.  While  they  were  doing  this,  their  en 
emies  could  pick  them  off  one  by  one  with  the  utmost 
ease.  But  no  way  could  be  thought  of  but  the  almost 
certainly-fatal  one  of  facing  the  arrows  and  bullets  of 
the  inmates  of  the  chamber.  Horace  next  sought  to  en 
gage  the  Hermit  in  a  parley.  Approaching  without  a 
light  to  the  entrance  of  the  chamber,  he  said  in  a  loud, 
distinct  voice : 

"Tell  us,  you  who  are  called  the  Hermit  of  the 
Catskills,  are  you  a  friend  or  an  enemy  to  the  Leech 
Club  ?" 

It  was  plain  from  the  ambiguous  answer  of  the  Hermit 
that  he  did  not  know  whether  he  was  addressed  b\T  a  friend 
or  an  enemy  of  the  Club,  and  that  he  did  not  care  to  com 
mit  himself. 

"  I  have  not,"  said  the  Hermit,  "  taken  up  my  abode 
in  these  mountains  to  act  as  the  friend  or  enemy,  of  any 
one.  I  have  only  to  be  let  alone  by  those  who  do  not 
wish  to  have  me  for  an  enemy.  I  bestow  my  friendship 
only  where  I  think  it  is  needed." 

"  What,"  said  Horace,  "  do  you  know  about  a  young 
woman  by  the  name  of  Charity  Faithful  ?  Why  do  you 
hold  her  a  prisoner,  and  what  have  you  done  with  her  ?" 

"  Who  told  you  that  I  held  her  a  prisoner  ?" 

"  I  saw  her  in  your  custody  myself." 

"  Does  it  follow  because  she  was  under  my  protection 
that  she  was  my  prisoner  ?" 

"  What  other  inducement  could  there  have  been  for  her 
to  remain  with  you  in  this  dreary  den  ?" 

"  That  is  a  question  that  I  cannot  now  answer,  but  if 
ever  she  has  the  opportunity  to  speak  to  mortal  ears,  the 
world  will  learn  that  I  am  not  her  enemy.' 

"  Is  she,  then,  dead  ?" 


262  THK    LEECH   CLUB  J   OK,    THE 

"  That  is  not  for  you  to  know.  You  are  not  of  us, 
and  I  charge  you  as  you  value  your  life  to  retire." 

This  conversation  was  carried  on  in  utter  dark 
ness.  The  party  of  officers  in  the  rear  heard  it  with 
something  of  the  awe  with  which  they  might  listen  to  a 
voice  from  the  clouds.  They  were  not  certain  whether 
it  was  the  voice  of  an  earthly  or  supernatural  being  which 
came  from  the  dark  chamber,  but  their  experiences  in 
the  cavern  had  rather  inclined  them  to  the  opinion  that  it 
was  other  than  a  human  being  who  addressed  Horace. 

Horace  crept  carefully  through  the  aperture  into  the 
chamber,  determined  to  take  a  b-rief  survey,  and  see  if 
there  w.as  any  method  of  descent  into  the  chamber,  even 
at  the  risk  of  his  life.  As  he  got  fairly  within,  he  freed 
the  light  of  his  torch,  in  order  to  look  around.  Instantly 
the  Hermit  bent  his  bow  double  with  an  arrow  on  the 
string,  and  with  deadly  aim  was  about  to  fire.  Horace's 
torch  shone  full  upon  his  own  countenance,  thus  render 
ing  his  fate  more  certain.  But  it  was  this  revealing  of 
his  features  which  saved,  instead  of  losing  his  life.  A 
female  voice  was  heard  to  cry,  as  she  pushed  the  deadly 
arrow  aside : 

u  Oh,  God  !  good  Hermit,  do  not  shoot !  I  know  him ! 
He  is  my  friend !" 

The  arrow  was  swerved  but  slightly  from  its  course  by 
this  fortuitous  movement,  and  it  actually  grazed  Horace's 
clothing.  The  woman  who  had  done  this  merciful  act 
now  rushed  wildly  across  the  chamber  toward  Horace ; 
and  it  was  evident  that  he  recognized  her ;  for  having 
discovered  the  crags  by  which  a  descent  could  be  made, 
he  hastened  down  into  the  chamber. 

And  now  after  these  long  agonizing  months  of  doubt 
and  suffering,  of  faint  hope  and  deep  despair,  Horace 
Lackfathe  and  Charity  Faithful  were  clasped  in  each 
other's  arms! 

Who  can  depict  the  astonishment  of  the  officers  as  they, 
hearing  the  tumult,  scrambled  through  the  narrow  pas 
sage,  deployed  on  the  crags  at  the  top  of  the  rocky  wall 
within  the  chamber,  and  witnessed  this  exhibition  of  fer 
vid  affection  between  Horace  Lackfathe  and  one  whom 
they  had  reason  to  think  was  a  sprite  of  the  mountains. 
The  Hermit  of  the  Catskills,  too,  for  once  seemed  non- 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  263 

plused.  He  stood  with  bow  in  hand  hanging  at  his  side, 
looking  on  at  a  distance,  his  placid,  gloomy  countenance 
wearing  an  expression  of  puzzled  thought. 

The  conversation  of  the  officers  showed  that  they  knew 
not  how  to  regard  this  new  situation — whether  it  was  some 
new  fa?itasy  of  the  supernatural  inhabitants  of  the  cavern, 
or  whether  the  two  whose  embrace,  it  seemed,  would 
never  relax,  were  human.  It  is  true  that  there  was  Hor 
ace  Lackfathe  whom  they  had  lately  regarded  as  one  of 
their  number,  but  they  had  before  had  reason  to.  think 
that  he.  was  in  league  with  the  goblins  of  the  cave. 
Now  they  again  began  to  indulge  in  such  thoughts,  and 
to  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  he  had  found  a  congenial 
spirit  in  the  shadowy  female,  into  whose  arms  he  had  in 
continently  rushed.  It  was,  indeed,  a  perplexing  situa 
tion  for  men  of  better  education  and  sounder  philosophy 
than  most  of  the  officers.  They  were  in  a  terra  incog 
nita,  where  the  palpable  and  impalpable  were  so  strangely 
blended  that  the  party  of  officers  had  about  given  up  all 
attempts  to  distinguish  between  the  shadowy  and  the 
real.  They  therefore  stood  or  sat  upon  their  uncertain 
footing  upon  the  crags,  looking  on  the  scene  with  much 
the  feelings  of  men  who  had  been  treated  to  a  view  in 
fairy  land. 

The  long,  fervent  embrace  of  Horace  and  Charity  at 
length  relaxed,  but  he  seemed  unwilling  to  trust  her  from 
the  protection  of  his  encircling  arm.  Their  first  words 
were  monosyllables,  choked  with  paroxysms  of  joy,  too 
deep  for  utterance. 

Explanations  were  finally  made,  and  Horace  learned 
that  the  Hermit  was  a  most  worthy  friend  of  Charity, 
instead  of  a- persecutor,  as  he  had  wrongly  supposed. 

"  Only  think,  Horace,"  said  Charity,  "  that  you  and 
the  Hermit,  who  had  every  reason  to  be  friends  if  you 
had  only  understood  each  other,  have  been  engaged  in 
deadly  combat,  and  narrowly  escaped  taking  each  other's 
lives.  It  makes  me  shudder  to  think  that  that  arrow 
from  the  Hermit's  bow  would  have  killed  you,  if  I  had 
not  seen  your  face  by  the  light  of  your  torch,  and  recog 
nized  you,  and  pushed  the  arrow  aside !" 

"  Yes,  and  it  grieves  my  own  soul,"  said  Horace,  "  to 
think  that  I  have  come  near,  on  several  occasions,  un- 


264  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

wittingly  doing  a  similar  bad  service  for  him.  What  ter 
rible  agony,  Charity,  might  have  been  saved,  had -it  not 
been  for  these  cm  el  mistakes." 

"  I  thought  your  voice  sounded  familiar,  Horace,  when 
you  were  talking  to  the  Hermit,  and  I  would  have  been 
sure  it  was  you,  only  that  I  thought  it  came  from  an  en 
emy,  and  that  I  knew  you  were  not  one,  and  concluded 
I  must  be  mistaken.  But  I  could  not  forbear  to  keep  a 
close  watch,  and  try  to  see  your  face  by  the  torch  light. 
And  there  seemed  to  be  a  Providence  in  it  that  caused 
me  to  do  so,  for  it  saved  your  life.  The  Hermit  never 
misses  his  mark  at  so  short  a  distance,  when  undisturbed." 

"And  think  how,  months  ago,  I  and  my  friends  pur 
sued  the  Hermit,  thinking  he  held  you  prisoner,  when 
we  could  have  gotten  you  out  of  this  cavern  then,  with 
ease,  if  we  had  only  understood  each  other !" 

"  Your  voice  sounded  familiar  to  me  then,  Horace,  and 
I  remarked  to  my  companion  in  misery,  Susan  Clarkson, 
that  it  sounded  like  you.  And  you  passed  within  three 
feet  of  where  we  were  concealed,  and  when  you  stopped 
and  fired  your  pieces  at  your  pursuers,  I  could  have 
touched  you  with  my  hand.  Oh !  if  I  could  only  have 
known  you  then,  what  worlds  would  I  have  given,  not 
alone  on  my  own  account,  but  also  that  of  my  poor  com 
panion  !  I  never  can  forget  the  agony  of  that  hour,  Hor 
ace.  Our  protectors,  the  Hermit  and  John  Woodman, 
had  been  driven  away,  thinking  you  were  enemies.  We 
heard  the  fighting,  and  gave  them  up  for  dead.  Then 
the  terrible  fate  of  being  left  in  that  awful,  gloomy  place 
to  die  by  inches,  stared  us  in  the  face.  And  there  you 
were  within  reach,  anxious  to  save  us,  and  we  thought 
you  were  enemies  !  What  misery  is  caused  by  a  little 
mistake !  And  yet  I  think  the  Lord  has  left  us  to  these 
tribulations  for  some  good  purpose,  Horace." 

"I,  too,  believe  He  has,"  said  Horace,  in  deep  meaning 
tones  !  for  amid  this  uncertain  gloom,  light  had  suddenly 
flashed  upon  his  doubting  soul.  He  felt  that,  at  least, 
one  weight  of  doubt  had  been  stricken  from  his  burthen. 
He  saw  at  least  one  rift  in  the  clouds  of  doubt  that  had 
so  long  obscured  his  sky ;  and  this  change  came  upon 
him  there  as  suddenly  as  the  sun  sometimes  peeps  through 
the  hitherto  impenetrable  mists.  And  this  suddenly 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  265 

eliminated  doubt  was  the  one  which  had  made  him  ques 
tion  whether  it  would  not  add  to  the  misery  of  both  him 
and  Charity,  should  they  be  united  in  marriage.  But  he 
now  felt  that  this  doubt  would  never  more  perplex  him, 
and  that  he  would,  on  the  contrary,  find  at  least  one 
source  of  trust  and  happiness  through  union  with  her. 
Was  this  the  good  which  Providence  was  to  bring  out  of 
these  fearful  tribulations  ?  Horace  believed  it  was,  but 
as  Charity  had  never  known  the  state  of  his  mind,  she 
could  not  draw  such  a  specific  inference.  She  believed 
that  good  was  to  grow  out  of  their  troubles,  and  let  us 
hope  it  will  rain  upon  her,  for  she  is  deserving. 

It  was  some  time  before  Charity  could  convince  the 
Hermit  that  Horace  was  in  reality  her  and  his  friend. 
But  when  he  found  that  Horace  was  a  most  bitter  enemy 
of  the  Leech  Club,  he  hesitated  no  longer,  and  treated 
Horace  with  all  the  cordiality  which  his  gloomy,  impas 
sive  nature  was  ever  known  to  manifest.  And  there 
were  John  Woodman  and  Susan  Clarkson ;  arid  soon  all 
comprehended  the  deliverance  that  was  at  hand.  They 
gathered  around  Horace,  and  were  ready  to  carry  him  in 
their  arms. 

All  this  time  the  officers  on  top  of  the  cavern  wall  had 
been  viewing  these  strange  proceedings  in  blank  wonder. 
The  most  of  them  were  thoroughly  convinced  that  the 
whole  thing  was  but  the  freak  and  flummery  of  goblins. 
At  length  Horace  shouted  out  to  the  officers : 

"  Come,  men  !  come  down  here !  these  are  friends ! 
and  they  will  help  us  hunt  out  the  Leech  Club  !" 

But  not  a  man  stirred.  Many  of  them  declared  that 
they  would  battle  no  more  with  spectres.  Only  show 
them  men  of  real  flesh  and  blood,  who  could  receive,  as 
well  as  give  blows,  and  they  would  face  any  danger  to 
meet  them.  They  were  now  well  convinced  that  fiorace 
had  connection  with  the  goblins.  Had  not  Mr.  Graphic 
been  among  the  officers,  they  would  have  retreated.  But 
he  derided  their  superstitious  fears,  and  shouted  to  Hor 
ace  to  come  up  there  and  convince  them  that  he, was  a 
man,  and  not  a  goblin.  As  Horace  neared  them,  many 
of  them  shrank  aside,  as  if  they  thought  his  touch  would 
blight  them.  He  explained  the  whole  matter  in  such  a 
natural  and  common-place  manner  that  they  were  reas- 
12 


266  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

sured,  and  with  a  little  urging  from  their  leader,  they  de 
scended  into  the  chamber. 

They  were  soon  on  speaking  terms  with  the  Hermit 
and  his  party,  learning  that  the  latter  were  victims  of  the 
Leech  Club.  On  consulting  with  the  Hermit,  they  be 
came  convinced  that  he  could  render  them  valuable  aid 
in  ferreting  out  those  they  sought.  The  two  female? 
were  left  in  the  chamber  under  the  protection  of  Mr. 
Graphic,  while  all  the  rest  of  the  party,  including  the 
Hermit  and  John  Woodman,  set  out  on  another  tortuous 
round  of  exploration.  The  Hermit  directed  all  the  oth 
ers  to  proceed  out  of  the  chamber  by  the  same  passage  at 
which  they  entered,  while  he  would  meet  them  at  a  point 
in  the  outer  cavern  to  which  John  Woodman  would  con 
duct  them. 

They  proceeded  under  their  new  guide  for  a  consider 
able  distance,  when  John  ordered  a  halt.  Here  they 
waited  for  several  minutes.  At  length  they  saw  a  light 
twinkling  back  in  a  narrow,  lateral  passage,  which  they 
had  not  before  noticed.  Soon  the  Hermit  walked  forth 
from  this,  and  joined  the  party.  How  he  had  gotten 
there  from  the  chamber  where  they  left  him,  no  one 
knew.  It  was  evident  that  he  had  found  exit  from  the 
chamber  by  some  secret  passage  other  than  that  by  which 
the  officers  entered  and  retired.  It  was  also  plain  that 
the  Hermit  and  his  party  were  not  cornered  in  the  cham 
ber  by  the  officers,  had  the  latter  been  enemies  ;  for  the 
Hermit  had  thus  practically  demonstrated  that  he  knew  o  I 
a  secret  line  of  retreat.  How  he  got  out  of  the  chamber, 
even  Mr.  Graphic,  who  was  left  with  the  females,  could 
not  afterwards  tell.  Probably,  while  he  was  engaged 
with  the  woman,  the  Hermit  had  quietly  withdrawn 
through  a  secret  passage  known  only  to  himself.  Either  this 
must  have  been  the  case,  or  else  the  Hermit  must  have  pos 
sessed  the  supernatural  power  of  disappearing  in  the  solid 
rock,  which  some  had  attributed  to  him.  At  all  events,  the 
Hermit  was  never  yet  known  to  be  cornered  either  within 
or  without  the  cavern.  Either  the  multiplicity  of  ramifi 
cations  with  which  he  seemed  perfectly  familiar,  enabled 
him  always  to  find  a  means  of  eluding  pursuit  in  the  cav 
ern  ;  and  a  fertility  of  expedients  enabled  him  to  set  the 
devices  of  his  enemies  at  defiance  in  the  open  mountains 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CA.TSKILLS.  267 

and  elsewhere ;  or  else  he  possessed  a  portion  of  the  arts 
of  the  goblin  inhabitants  of  the  wonderful  cave. 

The  Hermit  requested  the  party  to  become  seated,  and 
extinguish  their  torches,  while  he  would  reconnoiter. 
For  two  hours  they  sat  in  total  darkness,  while  the  Her 
mit  was  absent.  They  whiled  away  the  time  by  convers 
ing  in  low  tones  of  the  wonderful  things  they  had  seen 
in  the  cavern.  It  seemed  as  though  they  had  lived  a 
whole  lifetime  since  they  entered  the  cave  on  that  morn 
ing.  Their  minds  had  been  perplexed  with  the  strangest 
problems  ever  presented  to  man.  And  no  sooner  did 
they  apparently  get  one  of  these  mysterious  problems 
solved,  than  something  arose  to  throw  all  their  calcula 
tions  into  chaos,  and  leave  them  more  involved  in  mys 
tery  than  ever.  Was  this  cave  the  especial  abode  of 
goblins?  Was  the  Hermit  of  the  Catskills 'in  league 
with  these  ?  Were  the  Hermit's  party  common,  human 
beings  like  themselves  ?  Was  Horace  Lackfathe  a  con 
genial  spirit  with  the  genii  of  the  cave?  Were  the 
strange  apparitions  which  they  had  seen,  spirits  of  the 
blest,  or  goblins  of  perdition  ?  Were  the  Leech  Club  in 
any  way  connected  with  these  apparently  supernatural 
agencies  ?  It  hardly  appeared  that  they  were ;  for  the 
Hermit  and  his  party,  as  well  as  Horace  Lackfathe,  were 
enemies  of  the  Club.  But  then  it  might  be  that  there 
were  two  sets  of  supernatural  agencies  in  this  wonderful 
cave.  The  hideous  demons  whom  the  officers  first  en 
countered,  might  be  goblins  of  evil,  and  allies  of  the 
Leech  Club,  while  the  Hermit  and  his  friends  might  be 
connected  with  good  spirits,  seeking  to  checkmate  the 
wricked  deeds  of  the  evil  ones.  Such  were  the  multiplic 
ity  of  conjectures  with  which  the  minds  of  the  officers 
teemed.  But  no  amount  of  speculation  would  lead  them 
any  nearer  to  a  solution  of  these  mysteries. 

At  length  the  Hermit  returned.  As  usual,  he  said  but 
little.  Holding  a  brief  conference  with  the  chief  officer, 
the  force  was  divided  into  two  parties.  To  the  largest 
of  these,  consisting  of  about  two-thirds  of  the  whole 
number,  the  Hermit  himself  acted  as  guide.  The  other 
party  was  placed  under  the  guidance  of  John  Woodman, 
who  appeared  to  have  become  quite  familiar  with  the  cave. 
The  Hermit  gave  John  certain  directions,  and  imparting 


268  THE   LEECH   CLUB  ;   OR,   THE 

a  watchword  by  which  they  should  know  each  other,  the 
two  parties  separated,  and  again  there  commenced  a 
dreary  march  to  the  light  of  torches.  The  Hermit's  party 
had  not  gone  far,  when  a  brief  halt  was  called  ;  and  then 
they  were  shown  a  deep,  almost  perpendicular  hole  in  the 
floor  of  the  cavern,  into  which  they  were  to  descend. 
Crags  in  the  rock  were  the  steps  upon  which  they  must 
climb  down  this  dubious  pit.  The  Hermit  went  first, 
Horace  Lackfathe  next,  and  the  officers,  one  by  one,  fol 
lowed.  With  great  difficulty  they  descended  about  fifty 
feet,  when  three  different  passages  were  found  running 
in  different  directions,  horizontally.  The  Hermit  re 
quested  that  three  trusty  men  be  left  here,  and  that  they 
remain  quiet,  with  extinguished  torches,  ready  to  arrest 
any  one  not  of  their  own  party  who  might  come  upon 
them.  It  required  considerable  nerve  of  the  officers  to 
remain  in  this  place  ;  where  a  slow  death  would  be  the 
consequence,  should  their  guide,  by  design  or  accident, 
fail  to  return  to  them.  But  the  officers  had  become  en 
tirely  passive  in  this  exploration,  and  not  a  murmur  was 
heard. 

The  Hermit  then  led  the  remainder  of  the  party  on 
through  one  of  the  passages.  Soon  they  were  in  the 
open  cavern,  which  appeared  more  lofty  than  usual.  Hor 
ace  Lackfathe  soon  discovered  that  they  were  in  the  deep 
gulf  so  often  mentioned.  Proceeding  along  the  wall  of  the 
gulf,  he  stationed  the  men  at  different  points  within  calling 
distance  of  each  other,  giving  them  instructions  to  conceal 
the  light  of  their  torches,  and  look  out  for  the  approach 
of  any  one  not  belonging  to  their  party,  'ihe  Hermit 
now,  accompanied  only  by  Horace  Lackfathe,  entered  a 
narrow  passage  running  laterally  in  the  gulf  wall.  They 
proceeded  in  this  manner  for  some  distance,  when  all  at 
once  they  heard  a  challenge  coming  out  of  the  darkness. 
The  Hermit  gave  the  watch-word,  and,  to  Horace's  sur 
prise,  they  were  answered  by  the  three  men  who  were  at 
first  left  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole  by  which  the  whole 
party  descended.  The  Hermit  had  purposely  come  back 
to  this  spot  through  another  passage,  hoping  in  this  way 
to  start  out  some  of  the  Leech  Club,  and  pen  them  up 
between  two  parties.  But  the  game  was  not  there.  Re- 
enforced  by  the  three  officers,  the  Hermit  and  Horace, 


MYSTERIES   OF  THE   CATSKILLS.  209 

with  the  three,  now  proceeded  onward  in  another  pas 
sage. 

After  about  ten  minutes'  threading  of  this  narrow  and 
difficult  alley,  the  Hermit  suddenly  halted,  and  told  Hor 
ace  to  look  ahead.  Just  before  them  was  a  large  chamber, 
and  on  the  farther  side  of  it  appeared  to  be  about  a  dozen 
men,  very  comfortably  quartered,  with  torches  burning, 
seated  around  a  table,  on  which  were  wine  and  other  re 
freshments. 

"  There  are  the  men  we  seek  !"  said  the  Hermit ;  and 
he  passed  the  word  quietly  to  his  party  that  they  should 
spring  into  the  chamber,  display  their  torches,  present 
their  pistols,  and  demand  a  surrender  of  the  gang.  The 
movement  was  made,  and  the  surprised  members  of  the 
Leech  Club  sprang  up  and  fled  in  the'  utmost  dismay. 
This  was  what  the  Hermit  wanted.  They  were  more 
than  two  to  one  to  his  party,  and  had  they  stood,  it  is 
probable  they  would  have  been  more  than  a  match  for 
them.  But  in  flying,  the  Leech  Club  men  were  likely  to 
run  right  into  the  traps  which  the  Hermit  had  set  for 
them.  They  disappeared  into  a  narrow  passage,  and  this 
was  intersected  by  other  passages,  all  of  which  led  into 
the  gulf.  Tho  fugitives  separated  into  the  different  pas 
sages,  and  as  they  emerged  ii*  the  gulf  they  were  chal 
lenged  by  the  officers  stationed  there,  and  several  of  them 
were  captured. 

The  Hermit  and  his  party  continued  the  pursuit,  driv 
ing  the  main  portion  of  the  fugitives  before  them.  They 
at  length  emerged  into  the  gulf,  and  they  could  see  their 
prey  retreating  by  torch-light.  The  Hermit  now  gathered 
to  him  all  the  officers  he  had  stationed  in  the  gulf,  and 
continned  the  pursuit.  But  Horace  felt  that  the  game 
was  already  beyond  their  reach ;  for  how  could  they  ex 
pect  to  overtake  the  fugitives  in  the  ramifications  of  the 
cavern  ?  He  was  sure  that  he  saw  Mr.  Swellup,  Mr.  Sin- 
dandy  and  Mr.  Flitaway,  the  three  above  all  others  whom 
he  desired  to  see  brought  to  condign  punishment.  And 
the  torches  of  these  worthies  were  almost  disappearing 
from  sight  in  the  blackness  of  the  gulf. 

But  the  Hermit  patiently  and  silently  led  on  the  pur 
suit.  The  torches  of  the  fugitives  had  entirely  disap 
peared,  and  Horace  made  up  his  mind  the  game  had 


270  THE    LEECH    CLUB  J    OK,    THE 

completely  eluded  them.  Soon,  however,  he  was  aston 
ished  to  see  the  torches  of  the  fugitives  returning  toward 
their  pursuers.  Had  they  failed  to  find  egress  in  that  di 
rection  ?  and  were  they  going  to  try  conclusions  with  the 
officers  in  a  deadly  conflict?  The  fugitives  came  close 
enough  to  see  that  the  strength  of  tne  Hermit's  party 
was  more  than  they  cared  to  encounter,  when  they  again 
turned  about. 

They  continued  their  retreat  till  they  came  to  the  con 
fines  of  the  gulf,  where  there  were  craggy  steps,  by 
means  of  which  they  expected  to  ascend  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  cavern.  Had  they  been  able  to  do  so,  they 
would  have  been  beyond  pursuit.  But  here  was  an  un 
foreseen  difficulty.  John  Woodman's  party  was  stationed 
here  to  intercept  their  retreat.  The  Hermit  had  outgen 
eraled  them ! 

Seeing  themselves  hemmed  in  by  a  superior  force,  the 
fugitives  surrendered  at  discretion.  Mr.  Sindandy  was 
overcome  with  astonishment  and  fear  as  he  stepped  for 
ward  to  surrender,  and  found  himself  the  prisoner  of  John 
Woodman.  Poetical  justice  is  generally  the  most  gall 
ing  to  him  who  tastes  its  bitter  retribution. 

And  Mr.  Swellup  was  not  less  astonished  to  find  Hor 
ace  Lackfathe  among  his  pursuers,  and  so  expressed  him 
self. 

"  Indeed,  Mr.  Swellup,"  said  Horace,  "  it  may  surprise 
you  that  I  should  have  any  motive  to  assist  in  ferreting 
you  out,  but  I  shall  soon  have  the  pleasure  of  introduc 
ing  both  you  and  Mr.  Sindandy  to  those  whose  existence 
will  astonish  you  more." 

But  little  more  was  said,  and  the  prisoners  were  marched 
forward  till  they  reached  a  point  opposite  the  chamber 
where  Charity  Faithful  and  Susan  Clarkson  were  staying 
under  the  protection  of  Mr.  Graphic.  Here  the  party 
halted,  and  John  Woodman  went  into  the  chamber,  and 
brought  the  three  inmates  forth. 

"  Mr.  Swellup,"  said  Horace,  "  it  is  with  the  greatest 
pleasure  I  introduce  to  you  Miss  Charity  Faithful,  whom 
you  doubtless  thought  dead.  It  will  unquestionably  be  a 

freat  pleasure  to  you  to  see  her  still  alive,  enjoying  fair 
ealth ;  though  it  is  not  your  fault  that  she  is  possessed 
of  these  blessings." 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  271 

There  is  nothing  more  humbling  to  a  base  man,  than  to 
present  to  him  one  of  the  victims  of  his  villainy,  after 
his  power  of  mischief  is  gone.  Mr.  Swellup  shrank  to 
conceal  his  face  in  darkness. 

"  Mr.  Swellup,"  said  Charity,  "  if  you  cannot  recognize 
me,  you  can  at  least  tell  me  about  my  mother.  Is  she 
alive  ?  or  has  your  cruelty  killed  her,  as  it  would  have 
done  with  me  ?" 

"  She  was  alive  when  I  left  the  castle  a  short  time  ago," 
said  Mr.  Swellup,  sullenly. 

"  But  your  words  seem  to  intimate  that  she  is  likely  to 
be  dead  now !  In  the  name  of  God,  tell  me  how  she 
is  !"  said  Charity,  in  tones  which  showed  her  agony. 

But  not  another  word  would  Mr.  Swellup  say. 

"Now,  Mr.  Sindandy,"  said  Horace,  "I  have  a  sur 
prise  for  you,  also.  Allow  me  to  introduce  to  you  Susan 
Clarkson,  who  is  most  probably  your  wife  in  the  eyes  of 
the  law,  notwithstanding  you  intended  that  the  ceremony 
should  be  but  one  of  mockery.  I  think  the  laws  of  this 
State  recognize  no  such  thing  as  a  mock  marriage  ;  and 
that  a  public  avowel,  such  as  yours  before  a  witness,  is 
a  marriage  in  fact.  Taking  this  view  of  the  case,  she 
whom  you  call  your  wife  is  not  legally  married  to  you. 
However,  Miss  Clarkson  does  not  propose  to  put  in  any 
claim  on  that  score.  If  you  are  a  treasure  to  your  pres 
ent  spouse,  her  claims  on  you  will  not  be  interfered  with, 
except  so  far  as  the  law  may  take  lK>ld  of  you  on  other 
grounds  than  that  of  bigamy." 

Mr.  Sindandy  wilted  beneath  these  withering  words 
like  a  plucked  lily  or  pink  in  the  noonday  sun. 

Cooking  utensils  were  now  procured  from  the  cham 
ber,  and,  with  charcoal,  a  meal  was  cooked,  of  which  the 
jaded  officers,  as  well  as  the  others,  partook  with  relish. 
A  spring  trickled  from  the  side  of  the  cavern,  affording 
excellent  water.  After  the  meal  was  finished,  as  it  was 
far  into  the  night,  the  company  prepared  to  rest  where 
they  were  till  morning.  The  prisoners  were  secured ; 
and  while  some  kept  guard,  the  others  disposed  of 
themselves  as  best  they  could  for  a  few  hours'  rest. 

When  their  time  pieces  told  them  that  it  was  morning 
they  soon  made  their  way  out  of  the  cavern.  Stopping 
just  long  enough  to  take  a  little  refreshment  from  their 


272.  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,   THE 

haversacks,  they  proceeded  to  the  castle.  The  captured 
members  of  the  Leech  Club  entered  as  prisoners  the 
building  where  they  had  so  often  rioted  in  festivity. 

While  on  the  way  to  the  castle  Horace  had  expressed 
in  the  most  fervent  terms  his  thanks  to  the  Hermit,  and 
his  regrets  that  he  had  ever  regarded"  him  as  an  enemy. 
The  most  of  the  way  John  Woodman  walked  in  com 
pany  with  the  Hermit.  But  shortly  before  reaching  the 
castle,  the  Hermit,  unobserved  by  any  one,  quietly  dis 
appeared  in  the  forest ;  nobody  knew  whither. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

SOBKOW   MINGLES   IN   THE   CUP   OF   JOY. 


CHAEITY  FAITHFUL,  with  Susan  Clarkson  and  John 
Woodman,  had  remained  in  exile  in  the  mountains  all 
through  the  dreary  winter,  and  until  their  relief  through 
the  expedition  set  out  to  arrest  certain  IP  embers  of  the 
Leech  Club.  Charity  and  her  friends  had  not  remained 
in  the  dreary  cave  but  a  portion  of  the  time.  John 
Woodman  and  the  Hermit  had  erected  a  log  hut  in  a 
secluded  valley,  where  they  spent  the  most  of  the 
time ;  thus  having  what  little  comfort  could  be  obtained 
from  sunlight  and  fresh  air.  Their  hut  was  near  a 
narrow,  subterranean  passage  which  led  to  the  cave,  into 
which  they  could  retire  upon  the  approach  of  danger. 
From  the  cellar  of  their  hut  a  secret  door  opened  into 
the  passage  which  led  to  the  cavern  ;  therefore  there 
was  little  danger  of  their  being  surprised  and  captured. 
The  Hermit  was  their  faithful  friend,  paying  them  fre 
quent  visits ;  though  he  never  resided  with  them. 
ISoth  John  and  Charity  had  a  little  money,  and  with  this 
the  Hermit  provided  a  sufficient  supply  of  provisions,  be 
fore  winter  set,  to  last  them  till  spring.  The  provis 
ions  were  stored  in  a  secure  place  in  the  cavern,  and  they 
only  kept  a  small  supply  in  the  hut.  With  books,  and 


MYSTEKIES    OF    THE    CATSK.ILLS.  273 

each  other's  society,  did  these  three  exiles  while  away 
the  severe,  long,  dreary  winter  of  the  Catskills.  Their 
fuel  consisted  of  an  abundant  supply  of  charcoal,  which 
had  been  previously  prepared  and  stored  in  the  cave. 
The  labors  of  John  Woodman  were  valuable  in  prepar 
ing  this  supply.  As  charcoal  makes  little  smoke,  no 
prowling  hunter  was  attracted  to  their  retreat. 

It  is  true,  they  might  have  escaped  from  the  moun 
tains  entirely,  but  they  all  had  reasons  for  not  leaving 
the  Catskill  region.  John  Woodman  had  a  little  prop 
erty  there,  which  he  did  not  want  to  abandon :  Susan 
Clarkson's  parents  lived  not  far  off ;  Charity  Faithful's 
mother  was  certain  to  be  at  the  castle  while  the  Leech 
Club  should  make  that  a  summer  resort,  and  she  hoped 
thus  to  be  able  to  communicate  with  her  parent.  The 
whole  three  .believed  tfyat  there  would  soon  be  a  turn  in 
affairs,  by  means  of  which  they  could  bring  their  per 
secutors  to  justice  ;  and  they  knew  of  no  more  certain 
way  to  do  this  than  to  remain  near  at  hand,  where  they 
could  take  advantage  of  the  first  turn  in  the  tide.  The 
event  showed  that  they  judged  rightly,  for  the  very  fact 
of  their  remaining  here  was  the  means  of  securing  the 
capture  of  the  miscreants  who  had  persecuted  them. 
It  would  have  been  worse  than  useless  for  them  to  have 
come  forth  from  their  hiding,  and  invoked  the  law, 
while  the  Leech  Club  was  in  the  full  blush  of  its  power  ; 
for  the  courts  were  so  completely  under  its  control  that, 
instead  of  bringing  their  enemies  to  grief,  the  persecuted 
persons  would  soon  have  found  themselves  imprisoned 
by  a  corrupt  process  of  law. 

When  spring  came,  the  Hermit  heard  reports  of  the 
prosecutions  th£t  were  going  on  against  the  Leech  Club, 
and  he  conveyed  the  news  to  the  "exiles.  Hope  began  to 
find  a  place  in  their  hearts.  The  Hermit,  however,  when 
the  expedition  of  officers  was  seen  in  the  mountains,  sup 
posed  them  to  be  connected  with  the  Leech  Club.  He 
saw,  from  a  secure  place  of  observation,  that  Horace 
Lackfathe  was  among  the  number,  and  his  previous  en 
counters  with  Horace  had  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
latter  was  a  friend  of  the  Club.  The  Hermit  accord 
ingly  hurried  to  the  hut  where  his  three  wards  resided, 

12* 


274  THE   LEECH   CLUB  ;   OR,   THE 

and  conducted  them  into  the  cavern.  What  followed  is 
known  to  the  reader. 

The  joy  of  her  deliverance  from  this  terrible  exile 
was  marred  on  the  part  of  Charity  Faithful  by  the  con 
dition  of  her  mother.  Though  the  latter  knew  not  ex 
actly  the  fate  of  her  daughter,  she  had  reason  to  suspect 
that  Charity  was  most  foully  treated.  The  canker-worm  of 
suspense  and  grief  had  consumed  her  life,  and  when 
Charity  was  rescued,  she  came  only  in  time  to  see  her 
mother  sink  into  the  grave. 

Charity  first  had  the  news  of  her  arrival  broken  gently 
to  her  mother,  and  then  she  flew  to  her  bed-side.  She 
clasped  an  emaciated  form  in  which  the  last  spark  of 
life  had  been  set  burning  with  unwonted  fire,  by  the 
joy  of  meeting  her  long  lost  daughter.  It  is  doubtful 
if  the  grief -stricken  woman  wrould  have  lived  through 
that  day  but  for  the  sight  of  her  daughter.  This  unspeak 
able  joy  gave  her  a  new,  but  short  lease  of  life.  She  con 
versed  with  Charity,  heard  the  history  of  her  sufferings 
and  her  final  rescue.  How  wonderful  is  the  charity  and 
delicacy  of  the  dying.  Though  this  poor,  aggrieved, 
long-suffering  woman  knew  that  her  husband  had  been 
the  sole  cause  of  her  own  and  her  daughter's  troubles, 
she  made  no  allusion  to  the  fact.  And  Charity  appreciat 
ing  this  fine  delicacy  of  her  dying  mother,  did  not  allude 
to  it  either ;«  nor  did  she  tell  her  that  the  worse  than 
brute,  who  called  himself  her  husband,  was  then  in  the 
castle  a  prisoner. 

The  dying  woman  lingered  through  the  day,  and  far 
into  the  night.  About  midnight  she  called  Charity  and 
Horace  Lackfathe  to  her  bedside.  Joining  their  hands, 
she  placed  them  within  her  own  feeble  grasp,  while  they 
knelt  beside  her.  Her  lips  moved  in  the  silent  ut 
terance  of  a  prayer  that  was  not  heard  in  this  world ; 
but  who  can  doubt  its  import  ?  The  feeble  hand  relaxed. 
Horace  and  Charity  arose  weeping.  The  lips  which  had 
blessed  them  were  still  forever,  and  the  heart  which  for 
gave  the  greatest  of  injuries,  had  ceased  to  throb  with 
the  grief  which  had  worn  it  out. 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILL8.  275 

CHAPTER  XXYL 

A  TBIAL  WHICH  WAS  NOT  HELD  BEFORE  THE  GRINDING  COURT. 


MR.  SWELLUP,  Mr.  Sindandy,  and  the  others  who  were 
captured  in  the  cavern,  were  held  as  prisoners  in  the 
castle  until  the  remains  of  Charity  Faithful's  mother 
were  removed  to  the  city  where  she  had  resided,  and 
where  the  funeral  services  took  place.  Charity  departed 
from  the  hated  castle  with  the  remains  of  her  mother, 
but  it  was  necessary  for  Horace  Lackfathe  to  remain  and 
look  after  the  disposal  of  the  prisoners. 

Previous  to  her  departure,  Charity  had  sworn  out  a 
warrant  before  the  nearest  magistrate,  against  Mr. 
Swellup  for  kidnaping ;  while  Susan  Clarkson  had  a 
similar  one  issued  against  Mr.  Sindandy;  and  John 
Woodman  obtained  the  issuing  of  a  warrant  against  Mr. 
Sindandy  and  Mr.  Flitaway  for  conspiracy,  in  procuring 
his  false  imprisonment. 

The  officers  had  arrested  these  men  in  the  cavern  for 
the  misappropriation  of  the  public  funds.  Mr.  Shoe- 
man  was  again  called  on  to  procure  bail  for  them,  and 
by  the  most  persistent  efforts  he  managed  to  do  so. 
They  then  thought  they  were  again  free,  but  instantly  Mr. 
Swellup,  Mr.  Sindandy,  and  Mr.  Flitaway  were  arrested 
on  the  warrants  for  kidnaping  and  conspiracy.  !N~o 
more  bail  was  at  hand,  and  they  were  consigned  to  the 
jail  of  one  of  the  counties  in  the  Catskill  region. 

"  Now,"  said  Horace  Lackfathe  to  Mr.  Graphic,  "  we 
have  these  foul  birds,  these  cormorants  and  buzzards 
caged  ?" 

"  True,"  said  Mr.  Graphic,  "  they  are  caged,  but  we 
cannot  tell  at  what  minute  the  door  will  be  opened  for 
them  to  fly  where  they  list." 

"  But  the  county  court  will  hardly  be  as  lenient  to 
them  as  the  city  courts  which  they  have  so  long 
owned." 

"  That  depends  on  circumstances.  I  am  told  that  the 
District  Attorney  of  this  county  is  a  personal  friend  of 


276  THE   LEECH   CLUB,"    OK,    THE 

Mr.  Shoeman.  If  that  is  so,  I  am  afraid  he  will  not 
push  the  prosecution  very  vigorously  against  that  gentle 
man's  son-in-law." 

"  Can  it  be  possible,"  said  Horace  with  all  the  bitter 
ness  of  his  distrust  of  human  nature  returning,  "  that 
such  scoundrels  can  be  saved  by  their  friends  ?" 

"We  have  seen  that  such  is  the  case  in  the  city  ;  for 
notwithstanding  the  prosecutions  of  the  Leech  Club  there, 
it  has  thus  far  proved  almost  impossible  to  inflict  on  any 
of  them  the  full  severity  of  the  law.  They  have  man 
aged  so  adroitly  to  extend  their  circle  of  friendship  that, 
while  the  courts  are  disposed  to  put  a  bar  to  their  fur 
ther  mischief,  there  is  no  court  in  the  city  but  that  some 
of  its  members  iti  some  way  feel  friendly  to  the  Leech 
Club — or  at  least  don't  feel  disposed  to  deal  too  harshly 
with  it." 

"  And,  Mr.  Graphic,  you  blame  me  for  placing  so  lit 
tle  faith  in  the  world,  while  you  admit  that  things  are 
just  as  rotten  as  I  have  ever  intimated !" 

"  Well,  perhaps  they  are,  but  seeing  that  we  have  no 
other  world  than  this  at  present,  I  think  it  our  duty  to 
enjoy  it  the  best  we  can,  and  not  let  its  corruptness 
trouble  us  too  much." 

"  I  have  considerable  hope,"  said  Horace,  "  that  some 
thing  like  justice  may  be  done  in  this  case.  The  friend 
ships  that  Mr.  Shoeman  may  bring  to  bear  will  be  some 
what  counteracted  by  the  detestation  in  which  the  Leech 
Club  are  held  in  this  community.  Their  infamous  treat 
ment  of  John  Woodman  and  Susan  Clarkson  has  not 
placed  the  Club  very  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  peo 
ple  in  this  section." 

"  There,  I  am  afraid,  you  will  again  be  mistaken.  The 
Leech  Club  have  been  rich  and  powerful  here.  They 
have  scattered  their  gold  freely  like  water.  The  recipi-, 
ents  of'it,  though  they  now  know  it  to  have  been  stolen, 
still  feel  a  sort  of  friendship  for  those  who  were  so  lib 
eral.  Human  nature  is  so  constituted  that  such  things 
will  have  their  force." 

"  But  the  Club  has  gone  out  in  such  a  culmination  of 
villainies  that  I  think  human  nature  will  assert  itself  in 
its  other  phase — a  feeling  of  revenge  and  retribution  for 
wrongs  done." 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  277 

"  There,  I  think  you  miscalculate  human  nature  a  lit 
tle.  This  I  have  observed  :  that  mankind  have  an  irre 
sistible  inclination  to  side  with  the  weaker  party,  be  it 
even  a  thief  and  murderer  pursued  with  the  overwhelm 
ing  force  of  the  law.  Frequently  you  hear  of  men  per 
petrating  the  blackest  crimes  without  any  apparent  pro 
vocation.  The  community  are  furious  for  the  most  rig 
orous  punishment  of  the  criminal  until  he  is  ^captured 
and  lodged  in  jail.  Then  they  begin  to  relax  their  in 
dignation  a  little.  He  is  now  the  weaker  party.  Men 
begin  to  sympathize  with,  and  frame  excuses  for  him. 
His  crime  may  have  been  the  murder  and  robbery  of  a 
whole  family.  By  the  time  he  is  brought  into  court, 
the  sympathy  for  the  victims  has  almost  entirely  sub 
sided.  Their  sufferings  have  passed,  and  the  sympathy 
is  transferred  to  the  criminal.  He  is  looked  upon  as 
subject  to  a  cruel  treatment.  The  chances  are  that  there 
is  now  a  much  greater  sympathy  felt  for  him  than  for  the 
victims  whom  he  hurried  out  of  the  world.  ISTow  let  a 
prosecuting  officer  flag  a  little  in  vigor,  and  a  judge 
give  a  lenient  charge  in  regard  to  the  prisoner  !  The 
probability  is  that  the  jury  will  give  way  to  this  mawk 
ish  sympathy,  and  bring  in  a  verdict  of  manslaughter  in 
the  second  or  third  degree,  or  perhaps  acquit  the  prisoner 
entirely.  It  is  true  that  the  jury  will  afterwards  be  ut 
terly  ashamed  of  their  weakness,  but  it  is  then  too  late  to 
mend  the  matter." 

"  But,"  said  Horace,  "  in  the  trial  of  these  Leech 
Club  villains,  we  will  have  present  in  court  some  of  the 
victims  of  their  cruelty.  Surely  these  suffering,  inno 
cent  persons,  should  excite  rather  more  sympathy  than 
the  criminals  who  persecuted  them." 

"  It  would  seem  so ;  but  there  is  the  consideration 
that  the  sufferings  of  these  victims  are  now  over,  while 
the  criminals  are  in  danger  of  punishment.  So,  poor, 
weak  humanity  will  incline  to  sympathy  with  those 
whose  deserved  sufferings  are  imminent,  and  forget  the 
unmerited  tribulations  of  those  who  are  now  comparatively 
out  of  trouble.  It  might  not  be  so  if  the  prosecuting 
officers  would  do  their  whole  duty,  without  regard  to 
friendships,  which  I  fear  they  will  not."  [It  would 
seem  that  Mr.  Graphic  had  imperceptibly  fallen  into 


278  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

Horace's  method  of  reasoning,  as  recorded  in  a  previous 
chapter.] 

'The  trial  was  brought  on  with  unusual  promptness. 
The  prisoners  were  in  durance,  and  their  friends  be 
lieved  that  they  would  have  no  great  difficulty  in  get 
ting  them  acquitted;  or  at  all  events  let  off  with  a 
moderate  fine.  An  able  criminal  lawyer  was  procured 
to  defend  them,  and  it  was  generally  believed  that  the 
prosecuting  attorney  would  not  push  them  too  hard. 
Many  legal  gentlemen  will  perhaps  consider  this  a  scan 
dalous  statement,  but  the  truth  of  it  was  not  only  obvi 
ous  in  this  case — the  same  thing,  we  regret  to  say,  may 
be  observed  in  too  many  of  our  courts.  Only  let  a 
prisoner  have  friends,  and  see  how  easy  it  is  to  stave 
off  his  trial  and  get  him  out  on  bail ;  when  he  stands  a 
good  chance  never  to  be  brought  into  court  again. 

At  the  trial  of  Mr.  Swellup,  Mr.  Sindandy  and  Mr. 
Flitaway  for  kidnapping  and  conspiracy,  all  the  finesse 
known  to  lawyers  was  practiced  to  make  friendships  tell 
in  their  favor.  It  was  managed  to  get  jurymen  selected 
who  were  known  to  be  friends  of  Mr.  Shoeman.  And 
the  daughter  of  that  gentleman,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Sin- 
dandy,  was  present  in  court  to  excite  sympathy.  It  was 
the  most  exciting  trial  that  ever  took  place  in  that 
county.  The  court  room  was  crowded,  and  large  num 
bers  were  unable  to  gain  admittance.  Many  of  the 
jurors  were  challenged,  but  this  did  not  seem  to  dis 
compose  the  defendants,  as  the  entire  panel  was  composed 
of  those  whom  they  believed  to  be  their  friends.  With 
one  of  the  ablest  criminal  lawyers  of  the  day,  supported 
by  another  of  almost  equal  ability,  the  defense  seemed 
to  have  everything  its  own  way. 

Opposed  to  this  strong  array,  there  was  only  the  Dis 
trict  Attorney  of  the  county — a  young  man  of  little  expe 
rience  and  moderate  ability.  And  besides,  as  has  been  in 
timated,  he  was  thought  to  be  on  too  friendly  terms  with 
Mr.  Shoeman,  and  therefore  likely  to  sympathize  with 
that  gentleman's  son-in-law.  It  verily  seemed  that  the 
scoundrels  who  had  kidnapped  Charity  Faithful  and 
Susan  Clarkson  ;  cast  a  stigma  upon  John  Woodman 
by  having  him  sent  to  the  penitentiary,  breaking  up  his 
home ;  virtually  murdering  his  mother  as  well  as  the 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  279 

mother  of  Charity  Faithful — it  verily  seemed  that  these 
outlaws,  dyed  in  crime,  were  about  to  overreach  their 
victims  in  a  county  court  where  one  might  think  it 
would  be  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  convict 
them. 

As  the  proceedings  were  about  to  commence,  a  re 
quest  wa,s  made  by  John  Woodman,  that  Horace  Lack- 
fathe,  who  was  legally  qualified  to  practice  in  that  court, 
should  be  associated  in  the  prosecution  with  the  District 
Attorney,  stating  that  it  should  be  without  expense  to 
the  county.  There  could  be  no  objection  to  this  re 
quest,  and  it  was  granted.  Everything  was  now  ready. 
The  wife  of  Mr.  Sindandy  sat  within  sight  of  the  jury, 
looking  pale  and  careworn.  Near  by  was  also  seated 
John  Woodman,  Charity  Faithful  and  Susan  Clarkson. 
Just  back  of  these,  veiled,  was  Phebe  Greenwood. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  give  the  details  of  the  trial. 
It  was  conducted  on  the  part  of  the  defense  much  as 
many  other  bad  causes  have  been,  by  shrewd  lawyers, 
who  rely  almost  entirely  on  friendship,  and  their  ability 
to  muddle  matters,  having  really  no  evidence  to  produce. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  case  of  the  prosecution  was  per 
fectly  clear.  The  evidence  was  conclusive  and  unim 
peachable. 

The  able  counsel  for  the  defense,  in  making  their  plea, 
hardly  attempted  to  controvert  the  facts  so  clearly  proven. 
And  still  they  made  a  remarkably  specious  plea.  It  con 
sisted  chiefly  of  artful  and  plausible  sophistries,  well  cal 
culated  to  bewilder  an  inexperienced  jury.  The  country 
men  had  never  heard  such  learned  arguments  before. 
Every  one  was  astounded.  People  looked  at  each  other, 
as  if  saying  by  their  looks :  "  How  could  any  one  ever 
think  of  convicting  these  excellent  men  of  these  crimes  ?" 
for  their  lawyers  made  the  prisoners  out  to  be  the  great 
est  Christians,  the  most  active  and  liberal  philanthropists, 
and  the  most  genial,  social  citizens  who  ever  graced  the 
republic.  As  the  last,  and  most  able  of  the  prisoners' 
counsel  concluded,  there  was  a  resigned  expression  among 
the  audience,  as  if  they  had  made  up  their  minds  as  to 
the  innocence  of  the  prisoners,  and  their  consequent  ac 
quittal  ;  there  was  a  beneficent  smile  on  the  countenances 
of  the  jurymen,  as  if  they  had  already  made  up  their 


280  THE   LEECH   CLUB  |    OR,    THE 

minds  on  a  verdict  of  not  guilty ;  and  there  was  a  look  of 
triumph  on  the  countenance  of  the  wife  of  Mr.  Sindandy 
and  her  sympathizing  friends ;  and  a  corresponding  de 
pression  among  the  victims  of  the  Leech  Club's  villainy. 

The  District  Attorney,  a  mere  stripling  in  appearance, 
as  lie  proved  himself  to  be  in  ability,  at  least  on  that  oc 
casion,  followed  for  the  prosecution.  He  put  forth  a  very 
weak  argument,  which  did  not  in  the  least  alter  the  im 
pression  made  by  the  defense.  In  fact,  neither  the  au 
dience  nor  the  jury  scarcely  noticed  him.  It  was  like  the 
squib  of  a  pop-gun  after  a  salvo  of  heavy  artillery.  The 
burthen  of  his  effort  was  that  a  small  fine  should  be  in 
flicted  on  the  accused,  to  sustain  the  dignity  of  the  laws. 

The  District  Attorney  sat  down,  having  done  about 
as  much  toward  moving  the  audience  or  the  jury  from 
their  previously  fixed  convictions,  as  a  pebble  thrown  in 
mid-ocean  would  toward  agitating  it  into  foaming  waves. 
The  judge  was  about  to  charge  the  jury,  when  Horace 
Lackfathe  arose.  The  friends  of  the  prisoners  looked  at 
each  other  and  smiled,  as  much  as  to  say :  "  Let  him  go 
on,  he  won't  hurt  much."  What  could  that  pale,  slim 
young  man  do  to  overcome  the  arguments  of  the  massive 
and  brilliant  counsel  of  the  defense  ? 

Horace  commenced  in  the  usual  formal  style  of  the 
courts,  not  in  a  loud  voice,  nor  yet  with  any  appearance 
of  embarrassment.  He  spoke  slowly  at  first,  but  in  a 
clear  voice,  and  the  audience  and  jury  did  not  treat  him 
with  exactly  the  same  indifference  that  they  had  the  Dis- 
•trict  Attorney.  They  at  least  deigned  to  look  at  him. 
Soon  he  warmed  up,  as  he  commenced  to  review  the  evi 
dence.  He  placed  the  facts  which  had  been  proven  so 
clearly  before  the  jury  that  they  could  not  help  but  see 
them.  He  showed  that  it  had  been  proved  beyond  all 
question  that  the  prisoners  had  committed  some  of  the 
highest  crimes  known  to  our  laws.  Then  he  asked  the 
jury  if  the  defense  had  brought  one  jot  of  rebutting  tes 
timony,  or  if  they  had  impeached  any  of  the  witnesses  of 
the  prosecution  ?  No,  they  had  ignored  this,  the  real  is 
sue,  and  insulted  the  good  sense  of  the  jury  by  presum 
ing  that  they  were  so  ignorant  as  not  to  be  able  to  see 
through  the  weakness  of  the  defense.  Then  he  showed 
the  jury  how  clearly  it  had  been  proved  beyond  all  con- 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CATSKILLS.  281 

tradiction  that  the  prisoners  had  been  guilty  of  crimes 
which  called  for  a  verdict  that  should  consign  them  to 
a  long  imprisonment  at  hard  labor. 

He  then  took  hold  of  the  sophistries  of  the  learned 
counsel  of  the  defense.  These  were  dissolved  beneath 
his  burning,  logical  eloquence  like  hoar-frost  before  .the 
scorching  breath  of  a  locomotive.  He  took  hold  of  their 
false,  specious  arguments  as  a  whirlwind  snatching  a  rot 
ten  sheet  from  the  line,  tearing  it  into  shreds,  and  casting 
the  tatters  at  the  feet  of  the  jury.  A  few  minutes  pre 
viously,  the  defense  had  placed  before  the  jury  a  splen 
did  castle  in  the  air,  which  they  hoped  would  stand  the 
light  air-guns  which  they  thought  were  alone  at  hand  to 
be  brought  against  it.  But  it  fell  like  a  cob-house  as  Hor 
ace  merely  probed  it  with  his  stiletto.  "  It  seemed  to  the 
prisoners  that  they  had  only  been  knocked  with  the  evan 
escent  fabric  of  a  dream,  which  vanished  as  they  awak 
ened  and  were  about  to  grasp  it.  They  were  like  men 
who  had  vainly  thought  to  shield  their  backs  from 
scourging  blasts,  by  throwing  over  them  the  frail  fabric 
of  the  spider's  web,  which  proves  to  be  scarcely  an  im 
provement  on  nothing,  as  one  attempts  to  draw  it  about 
his  shoulders.  In  concluding,  Horace  addressed  the  jury 
in  a  more  general  way.  Though  much  of  what  he  said 
was  a  repetition  of  ideas  which  he  had  before  advanced 
in  conversation  with  Mr.  Graphic,  as  recorded  in  a  pre 
vious  chapter,  we  give  a  few  extracts  from  his  peroration. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  said  he,  "  there  never  was, 
nor  ever  can  be,  a  clearer  case  than  this.  If  you  do  not 
give  the  verdict  for  the  people  in  this  case,  then  our 
criminal  laws  may  as  well  be  swept  from  the  statute 
books,  or  at  least  amended  so  as  to  read  :  '  None  but  the 
poor  and  friendless  are  amenable  to  these  laws.  All  who 
have  powerful  friends  to  employ  for  them  able  counsel, 
shall  be  deemed  privileged  against  these  enactments,  and 
no  verdict  must  be  brought  against  such,  or  at  least,  only 
in  a  modified  form.'  I  pray  you,  gentlemen,  do  not  al 
low  a  stigma  to  fall  upon  the  administration  of  justice  in 
this  county,  like  that  which  disgraces  the  city  whence 
these  prisoners  have  imbibed  their  civil  morals.  They 
came  here  among  you,  gentlemen,  thinking  to  practice 
with  impunity  in  these  pure  hills  all  the  iniquities  that 


282  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

have  cursed  the  city  which  they  have  so  long  misgov 
erned.  Teach  such  criminal  interlopers  that  they  must 
carry  their  nefarious  doings  to  another  theater  of  action. 
Teach  them  that  this  is  not  a  healthy  locality  for  rogues, 
however  rich  they  may  be  with  the  stolen  money  01  the 
people. 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  which  of  you  can  doubt  that, 
were  these  men  poor  and  friendless,  they  would  have  re 
ceived  the  full  penalty  of  their  crimes,  without  all  this 
ado  ?  Suppose  some  vagrant  Gypsies  had  abducted  your 
daughters,  and  after  first  endeavoring  to  consign  them  to 
a  house  of  ill-fame,  had  then  imprisoned  them  in  a  gloomy 
cavern,  the  terrors  of  which  have  made  the  stoutest  hearts 
quail  !  And  suppose  these  same  outlaw  Gypsies  had  in 
veigled  into  their  net  one  of  your  most  promising  sons, 
and  by  false  accusations'  contrived  to  have  him  sent  to  the 
penitentiary  !  The  mothers  of  these  victims  pine  away, 
and  die  of  hearts  broken  by  the  cruel  fate  of  their  child 
ren.  Do  any  of  you  doubt  that  the  outlaws  who  com 
mitted  these  iniquitous  acts  would  be  condemned  to  the 
utmost  penalties  of  the  law  ?  Oh !  yes  you  say,  a  band 
of  beggarly  Gypsies  or  other  scum  of  society,  who  should 
commit  such  heinous  crimes,  would  find  little  mercy  in 
this  court.  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  look  at  the  pris 
oners  !"  and  Horace  pointed  at  them  with  an  energy  that 
caused  the  audience  fairly  to  shriek,  as  if  they  expected 
to  see  a  thunderbolt  dart  from  the  tips  of  his  fingers  and 
strike  the  culprits  lifeless  on  the  spot ;  while  his  eyes 
flashed  as  if  with  the  lightning  preceding  the  thunder 
which  was  about  to  roll ;  and  the  prisoners  quailed  before 
his  withering  gaze.  "  They,"  said  Horace,  "  have  com 
mitted  just  such  a  crime  as  that  supposed  of  the  vagrant 
outlaws,  in  a  thrice  aggravated  form.  There,  gentlemen, 
are  some  of  their  victims !"  said  Horace,  pointing  to  the 
seat  where  Charity  Faithful  and  the  others  sat.  "  You 
see  there  at  least  two  with  whom  some  of  you  are  per 
sonally  acquainted.  There  is  John  Woodman,  your  re 
spected  townsman ;  who,  in  times  not  long  agone,  had, 
like  you,  a" snug  home  in  one  of  the  picturesque  valleys 
of  these  mountains.  He  had  a  widowed  mother,  who 
doted  on  him,  but  she  is  not  here.  These  splendid  gen 
tlemen  who  are  now  arraigned  before  the  bar  of  this 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE    CAT9KILLS.  283 

court,  dug  her  grave,  after  they  had  first  consigned  her 
son  to  a  living  tomb  by  a  foul  conspiracy.  And  there  is 
a  young  woman,  known  to  many  of  you  as  the  virtuous 
daughter  of  one  of  your  esteemed  and  worthy  neighbors. 
That  mincing  hypocrite  " — pointing  to  Mr.  Sindandy — 
"  not  satisfied  with  the  breaking  up  of  the  Woodman 
family,  lured  the  poor  girl  to  her  ruin  by  a  mock  mar 
riage  ;  then  endeavored  to  consign  her  to  a  house  of  ill- 
fame  which  was  kept  by  an  esteemed  friend  of  his  ;  and 
next  imprisoned  her  in  the  gloomy  cavern  in  the  moun 
tains.  And,  gentlemen,  there  is  another  lady,  not  known 
to  you,  who  was  a  companion  to  your  townswoman  in 
this  hellish  imprisonment.  She  shared  with  her  the  re 
morseless  persecution  of  these  culprits.  That  bloated 
criminal,  fattened  to  his  present  proportions  on  the  hard 
earnings  of  you  all,  and  rifled  from  your  pockets  in  the 
shape  of  taxes,  was  the  step-father  of  this  young  woman. 
Her  widowed  mother  married  this  man,  not  knowing  his 
true  standing,  and  brutal  nature.  And  did  he  prove  a  hus 
band  to  the  one,  and  a  father  to  the  other  ?  ISro,  gentlemen, 
he  contracted  this  marriage  for  the  same  base  purpose 
that  he  enters  the  public  service — for  plunder  !  Both 
this  young  woman  and  her  mother  had  a  handsome  prop 
erty.  That  wretch  wished  to  marry  the  daughter  of  his 
wife  to  one  of  his  kind.  But  she  had  learned  the  nature 
of  these  men,  and  she  preferred  burial  alive — for  such  it 
was — in  the  cave  of  terrors,  to  such  a  marriage.  Not 
even  the  mother  dying  of  grief  before  his  eyes  could 
soften  the  heart  of  this  chief  of  the  Leech  Club.  He  had 
learned  to  value  money  as  the  source  of  his  power  and 
gaudy  splendor,  and  when  that  was  at  stake,  the  life,  hap 
piness  and  liberty  of  others  was  naught ;  his  vows  at  the 
altar  to  sustain  and  cherish  her  to  whom  he  had  solemnly 
promised  to  be  a  husband,  were  no  more  regarded  than 
his  oath  of  office  when  he  found  it  necessary  to  steal  a 
million  dollars  or  so  from  the  public  treasury,  in  order  to 
keep  up  the  scandalous  splendor  which  has  stirred  up 
an  outraged  people  to  drive  him  and  his  clique  from 
power. 

"  Thus  you  see,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  while  these 
men  stand  before  you  convicted  kidnappers  and  conspira 
tors,  they  are  also  virtually  murderers  of  the  mothers  of 


28-i  THE   LEECH   CLTJB  ;   OR,    THE  , 

two  of  the  victims  whom  they  have  so  foully  treated. 
The  mother  of  John  Woodman  is  seen  among  you  no 
more  ;  her  cottage  and  farm  are  as  desolate  as  if  a  band 
of  savage  and  merciless  Bedouins  of  the  desert  had  trod 
den  out  every  spark  of  life  upon  it,  beneath  the  feet  of 
their  chargers.  The  mother  of  Charity  Faithful .  was 
fairly  scourged  through  the  portals  of  the  tomb  by  the 
brute  who  should  have  been  her  protector. 

"  Now,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  will  you  set  free  on 
these  hills,  criminals  whose  souls  are  damned  with  per 
jury,  and  whose  hands  are  dyed  in  blood  ?  "Will  you  send 
forth  from  this  hall  these  Arab  banditti  ^to  flout  the  cot 
tage  which  is  desolated  by  their  murder,  and  the  farm 
which  is  growing  up  with  brambles,  because  the  sturdy 
hand  which  would  have  tilled  it  was  sent  to  penal  con 
finement  by  their  base  conspiracy  ?  No,  gentlemen,  dis 
grace  not  your  own  county  by  such  a  verdict  as  that. 

"  Be  not  seduced  from  the  performance  of  your  duty, 
gentlemen,  by  the  splendor  of  these  criminals.  Even  if 
their  glitter  was  not  the  fruit  of  public  robbery,  it  would 
be  no  excuse  for  meting  out  to  them  a  less  punishment 
than  their  crimes  merit.  Gentlemen,  I  am  sure,  if  these 
men  were  ragged,  vagrant  outlaws,  there  would  be  no 
necessity  for  an  elaborate  appeal  for  their  conviction. 
The  bare  evidence  would  be  sufficient.  And  in  making 
this  assertion,  I  would  cast  no  reproach  upon  the  intelli 
gence  and  honesty  of  the  jury.  The  fault  is  not  yours, 
gentlemen,  that  this  is  the  case.  The  fault  is  with  the 
manner  in  which,  for  years  past,  our  criminal  laws  have 
been  administered.  It  has,  I  shame  to  say,  become  a 
common  understanding,  that  every  rich  and  powerful 
criminal,  or  one  who  possesses  powerful  friends  who  stand 
by  him,  is  in  some  manner  to  escape  punishment.  Very 
few  men  who  have  robbed  and  embezzled  to  the  extent 
of  hundreds  of  thousands,  find  their  way  within  the  penal 
walls.  To  say  nothing  about  the  direct  corruption  which 
has  been  charged  upon  some  courts,  and  which  I  know 
does  not  prevail  in  this,  there  seems  to  be  a  disposition 
to  save  all  criminals  who  have  wealth,  apparent  respecta 
bility,  or  an  extensive  circle  of  friends,  from  the  rigor  of 
the  laws.  No  matter  how  plain  the  case,  by  some  sort  of 
legal  legerdemain,  they  escape. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  285 

"  There  are,  for  the  safety  and  discipline  of  society, 
few  enough  criminals  punished  under  any  circumstances 
— either  low-bred  Or  aristocratic  criminals.  This  false, 
disorganizing  friendship,  comes  in  to  save  the  larger  por 
tion  of  those  who  prey  upon  the  industrious,  or  wreak 
their  unrighteous  vengeance  on  the  unoffending,  or  be 
guile  the  innocent  into  their  toils  to  minister  to  their 
baseness.  But,  while  the  most  of  those  who  incur  the 
rigor  of  the  laws  doubtless  deserve  their  fate,  they  are 
infinitely  less  guilty  than  the  ten  times  larger  number 
who  are  saved  from  punishment  by  the  mal-administra- 
tion  of  the  statutes.  The  poor  and  friendless  must  bear 
the  whole  brunt  of  serving  as  examples  to  law-breakers. 
They  alone  must  wear  the  penal  garb,  and .  wield  the 
penal  bar  in  the  quarry,  in  order  that  the  world  may  see 
that  '  The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard.'  Gentlemen, 
that  passage  should  be  altered  in  these  modern  times  to 
read  :  '  The  way  of  the  poor  and  friendless  transgressor 
is  hard.'  Why,  gentlemen,  in  the  way  the  laws  have 
been  administered  for  some  years  past,  if  we  had  no  poor 
and  friendless,  there  would  be  none  punished  at  all,  crime 
would  hold  high  carnival,  and  there  would  be  no  con 
demned  criminals  whom  we  might  point  out  to  outlaws, 
and  say  :  '  There  is  what  your  tt-ansgressions  will  bring 
you  to  unless  you  cease  your  lawless  career.'  Society  is 
suffering  infinitely  more  from  the  wholesale  criminals 
who  escape  punishment,  than  from  the  comparatively 
petty  criminals  who  fill  our  prisons.  If  we  would  re 
deem  society  from  its  great  demoralization,  we  must  pun 
ish  the  thief  who  steals  millions  as  well  as  the  one  who 
steals  hundreds. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  little  more  to  say.  The  prisoners 
are  not  on  trial  here  for  the  tremendous  robberies  they 
have  committed  from  the  public  funds.  You  have  heard 
how  hard  it  is  to  get  an  adequate  verdict  against  them 
for  their  financial  crimes.  Powerful  friends  shield  them 
from  the  full  rigor  of  the  laws.  Shall  it  be  so  here  ? 
The  crimes  that  have  been  proven  against  them  in  this 
court  are  personal  ones  against  the.  individuals  who  are 
here  before  you.  The  prisoners  stand  convicted  directly 
of  kidnapping  and  conspiracy,  while  indirectly  they  are 
virtually  guilty  of  murder.  You,  gentlemen  of  the  jury, 


286  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

can  only  take  cognizance  of  what  has  been  proven  against 
them  here.  As  you  can  have  no  measure  of  doubt  of 
their  guilt  in  the  face  of  the  evidence,  we  ask  you  to  give 
an  unmitigated  verdict.  So  shall  the  kidnappers  and 
conspirators  be  punished  ;  and  in  their  capacity  of  mur 
derers,  although  the  sentence  will  not  be  inflicted  for 
that,  they  can  be  measurably  punished,  by  giving  them 
the  utmost  penalty  of  the  law  for  the  crimes  for  which 
thoy  are  convicted  ;  and  again,  if  they  feel  that  the  court 
has  been  unusually  severe  in  its  sentence,  they  may  con 
sider  that  in  their  capacity  of  public  robbers,  they  mer 
ited  a  still  greater  punishment.  In  any  event  they  will 
get  off  with  less  than  their  deserts.  Now,  gentlemen,  I 
conjure  you  to  do  your  duty  to  yourselves,  your  oaths, 
your  consciences,  and  to  the  people ;  vindicate  the  char 
acters  of  these,  your  fellow  townsmen,  by  showing  to  the 
world  that  those  who  conspired  to  consign  John  Wood 
man  to  the  penitentiary,  were  ruffianly  outlaws  ;  and  that 
the  counterfeit  gentleman  who  lured  Susan  Clarkson  to 
ruin,  was  a  most  designing  knave." 

Horace  sat  down  amid  a  clamor  of  applause,  which  the 
court  checked.  The  countenances  of  the  prisoners  and 
their  friends,  which  had  appeared  so  elated  in  the  early 
part  of  the  trial,  were  now  blanched  as  if  a  panic  had 
seized  their  souls.  The  eyes  of  Mr.  Sindandy's  wife  and 
those  of  Phebe  Greenwood  happened  to  meet,  when  a 
pardonable  expression  of  triumph  was  visible  on  the 
1  countenance  of  the  latter. 

The  judge  gave  a  brief  charge,  and  the  jury  retired. 
They  were  out  but  a  few  minutes,  when  they  returned 
with  a  verdict  of  GUILTY  ! 

There  was  no  visible  change  on  the  countenances  of  the 
prisoners  on  hearing  the  verdict.  They  had,  for  some 
time  past,  settled  down  into  a  calm  despair,  and  they  were 
not  at  all  surprised  at  their  conviction.  No  one  was  sur 
prised.  Any  other  verdict  would  have  created  the  ut 
most  astonishment. 

The  prisoners  were  removed  to  their  cells.  The  next 
day  Mr.  Sindandy,  Mr.  Swellup,  and  Mr.  Flitaway  were 
each  sentenced  to  imprisonment  at  hard  labor  for  the 
period  of  fifteen  years.  A  few  days  afterwards,  the  three, 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSTCILLS.  287 

linked  together  with  handcuffs,  were  taken  from  the 
bounty  jail  to  the  State  prison. 

When  the  trial  was  over,  and  the  court  adjourned,  the 
friends  of  John  Woodman  gathered  around  him,  and  al 
most  bore  him  on  their  shoulders  from  the  court  room. 
And  the  friends  of  Susan  Clarkson,  now  feeling  that 
her  character  was  vindicated,  tendered  her  their  warmest 
congratulations.  Charity  Faithful  walked  forth  cling 
ing  to  the  arm  of  Horace  Lackfathe.  Poor  Mary  Shoe- 
man,  weeping,  and  supported  by  the  arm  of  her  father, 
was  assisted  to  a  carriage  and  driven  home.  Phebe 
Greenwood,  after  a  briei  interview  with  John  Wood 
man,  departed  for  home  in  her  father's  conveyance. 

Horace  and  Charity,  Susan  Clarkson  and  John  Wood 
man,  gathered  in  a  little  group  outside  of  the  court 
house.  Soon  there  stepped  forth  from  the  crowd  a  tall, 
dark  man,  dressed  in  ordinary  garb,  and  walked  toward 
them.  They  all  rushed  to  meet  him,  for  it  was  the 
Hermit  of  the  Catskills.  They  seized  hold  of  his  hands, 
his  arms  and  his  garments,  and  fairly  showered  upon 
him  thanks  and  compliments. 

"  My  dear,  good  Hermit,"  said  Horace,  "  do  come  and 
spend  the  evening  with  us  at  our  hotel !  We  have 
spent  together  so  many  hours  of  tumult,  let  us  at  least 
have  a  short  season  of  quiet  and  peaceful  communion." 

"  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  gratify  you,"  said  the  Hermit. 
"  We  can  just  as  well  say  good-bye  here,  now  that  we 
must  part !  perhaps  forever !  which  means  till  we  meet 
in  another  world  !  Let  me  say,  young  man" — address 
ing  Horace — "  that  I  am  amply  compensated  in  witness 
ing  the  noble  part  you  have  performed  in  this  day's  pro- 
'ceedings,  for  any  little  misunderstanding  that  has  existed 
between  us.  If  my  own  poor  services  to  your  friends 
have  atoned  for  any  wrong  I  have  unintentionally  done 
you  in  word,  thought  or  act,  then  our  unpremeditated, 
and  slight  grievances  are  offset." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Horace,  "  we  owe  you  all  this  happi 
ness  which  we  now  possess  !  and  we  beg  you  to  allow  us 
to  confer  upon  you  some  token  of  our  great  esteem." 

"  I  want  no  token  but  your  good  opinion,"  said  the 
Hermit,  "  and  as  I  see  you  think  not  ill  of  the  Her 
mit  of  the  Catskills,  I  will  now  bid  you  good-bye J" 


288  THE   LEECH   CLUB  J   OR,    THE 

"  Not  yet !  not  yet !"  said  they  all,  clinging  to  his 
arras  and  the  skirts  of  his  coat. 

"  My  children,"  said  the  Hermit,  "  there  is  nothing 
more  that  I  would  say  to  you.  You  need  my  aid  no 
longer.  Nor  is  there  any  more  work  for  us  to  do  in 
concert.  My  mission  is  ended  here  in  the  Catskills. 
To-morrow  I  depart  to  join  my  people  again  in  the  far 
West.  To-night  I  must  prepare  for  my  journey.  So, 
GOOD-BYE  !" 

They  all  flung  themselves  upon  the  stoical  Hermit, 
shaking  his  hands  and  embracing  him,  and  with  sobs  ut 
tering  their  adieus.  Charity  Faithful  managed  to  disen 
gage  a  gold  chain  from  her  own  neck,  and  to  throw  it 
about  that  of  the  Hermit.  He  did  not  attempt  to  return 
it,  but  entwined  it  in  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  thus 
showing  that  he  recognized  the  token,  while  with  the 
other  hand  he  waved  them  a  last  farewell,  and  walked 
calmly  away.  They  watched  him  till  he  was  out  of  sight, 
when  they  turned  sadly  to  their  quarters  in  the  hotel. 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

CONCLUSION. 


A  FEW  days  after  the  events  recorded  in  the  previous 
chapter,  the  castle  of  the  Leech  Club,  in  the  Catskills, 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  As  all  the  valuable  furniture  had 
previously  been  removed,  it  was  surmised  that  the 
Club  themselves  had  burned  the  building.  Their  glory 
had  departed,  and  they  doubtless  desired  to  leave  no  mon 
ument  of  their  ignominy  in  the  vicinity.  All  the  iron 
that  had  been  used  in  the  construction  of  the  building 
was  gathered  from  the  ruins,  carted  away  and  sold.  The 
walls  of  the  castle  were  demolished,  and  soil  and  mould 
thrown  upon  the  debris.  Few  persons  would  now  sus 
pect  that  the  pile  of  stones  partially  covered  with  earth 
and  moss,  which  now  occupies  the  site  of  the  ruins, 


MYSTERIES   OF   THE   CATSKILLS. 

was  once  a  gorgeous  mansion,  the  scene  of  junk 
eting  and  gaiety,  and  the  dwelling  of  men  who  for  a 
time  held  the  destinies  of  a  great  State  in  their  hands 
with  the  seeming  power  and  security  of  an  Oriental 
despot.  The  beautiful  lake  in  front  of  the  castle  was 
drained  by  tearing  away  the  artificial  dam  which  had 
been  placed  across  the  gorge  to  retain  the  waters  of  the 
noisy  stream.  This  dam  had  been  constructed  in  a  man 
ner  to  make  the  lake  appear  as  a  natural  one,  but  from 
the  facility  with  which  it  was  torn  away  it  was 
plainly  artificial,  and  the  work  of  the  Leech  Club.  Thus 
the  spot  which  had  been  the  scene  of  such  rounds  of 
festivity  was  left  in  a  state  as  wild  as  any  other  solitary 
dell  of  the  mountains,  v  The  road,  or  rather  trail,  which 
led  to  the  castle,  was  soon  overgrown  with  bushes,  so  as 
to  be  hardly  distinguishable. 

There  was  now  little  left  of  the  Leech  Club  in  the 
Catskill  region  except  Mr.  Shoeman.  The  jobs  by  which 
he  was  to  be  indemnified  for  his  unprecedented  election 
expenses,  had  come  to  naught  with  the  men  who  had  in 
augurated  that  system  of  public  robbery.  And  Mr.  Shoe 
man  had  become  so  greatly  involved  in  backing  up  the 
members  of  the  Club  during  the  prosecutions  against 
them,  that  when  they  irretrievably  fell,  he  was  a  ruined 
man  financially.  He  managed  to  save  only  a  few  thou 
sand  dollars  from  his  hard-earned  and  once  splendid  for 
tune.  And  with  this  miserable  remnant,  Mr.  Shoeman 
emigrated  to  the  far  West  with  his  family.  There  were 
some  monuments  of  corruption,  such  as  the  so-called  "  im 
provement  of  Saxafax  Creek,"  which  Mr.  Shoeman  did 
not  care  to  have  staring  him  in  the  face  and  accusing 
him,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  So  he  sorrow 
fully  left  the  scene  of  his  life-long  toil  and  honest 
success  in  accumulating  a  fortune ;  which  slipped  through 
his  fingers  like  volatile  mercury  as  soon  as  he  allied  him 
self  with  thieves. 

Mr.  Shoeman's  son-in-law,  Mr.  Sindandy,  lost  his  life 
in  an  attempt  to  escape  from  prison,  soon  after  his  incar 
ceration. 

About  a  year  after  Horace  Lackf athe  figured  so  promi 
nently  in  the  trial  of  the  Leech  Club  prisoners,  he  again, 
in  the  same  county,  appeared  as  one  of  the  chief  person- 
12 


2'JO  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

ages  on  another  not  less  interesting,  but  more  auspicious 
occasion.  And  there  are  present  the  self-same  individuals 
whose  case  he  so  ably  advocated  at  the  trial.  John  W  ood- 
man  has  regained  the  ruddy  health  of  his  native  hills,  and 
he  is  otherwise  much  improved  in  appearance.  His  brow 
has  assumed  somewhat  of  the  thoughtful  look  common 
to  men  engaged  in  intellectual  pursuits,  adding  to  his 
physiognomy  a  sort  of  quiet  dignity.  Susan  Clarkson  is 
again  a  rosy-cheeked  country  lass,  as  sprightly  as  the  wild 
flowers  of  the  mountains  after  a  refreshing  rain  ;  though 
she  is  not  one  of  the  central  figures  on  this,  as  she  was 
on  the  former  occasion.  Mr.  Graphic  is  also  one  of  the 
company,  his  clear  eye  and  radiant  smile  indicating  that 
he  has  weighed  mankind,  and  settled  down  into  a  be 
nevolent  trust  in  them  as  a  whole,  notwithstanding  the 
aberrations  of  so  many  from  the  path  of  rectitude. 

The  central  figures  among  the  female  part  of  the  as 
semblage  were  Charity  Faithful^and  Phebe  Greenwood. 
They  were  dressed  in  white,  flowing  robes,  and  were  at 
tended,  the  former  by  Horace  Lackfathe,  and  the  latter 
by  John  Woodman.  The  scene  was  in  an  old-fashioned 
country  church  ;  and  a  plainly  dressed  audience  filled  the 
rustic  pews.  There  were  no  bridesmaids  nor  grooms 
men.  None  were  needed  in  a  DOUBLE  WEDDING. 

Horace  Lackfathe,  with  Charity  Faithful  on  his  arm, 
led  the  way  down  the  uncarpeted  aisle,  followed  by  John 
Woodman  and  Phebe  Greenwood ;  and  there  was  a  low 
murmur  of  approbation  among  the  assemblage.  This  was 
speedily  hushed  as  the  clergyman's  voice  was  heard  open 
ing  the  ceremony  to  unite  these  two  happy  couples  in  the 
holy  bands  of  wedlock. 

But  it  is  needless  to  pursue  this  subject  further.  Hor 
ace  and  Charity,  though  residing  in  the  city,  had  acceded 
to  Phebe  Greenwood's  request  to  visit  the  country  in  or 
der  that  their  nuptial  ceremony  might  be  performed  at 
the  same  time  that  Phebe  and  John  Woodman  were  mar 
ried.  While  Horace's  eye  still  retained  somewhat  of  its 
thoughtful,  gloomy  expression  of  distrust  and  doubt,  it 
was  quite  evident  that  the  fair  being  by  his  side  held  as 
large  a  share  of  his  faith  as  she  could  desire,  however  he 
might  doubt  the  intrinsic  worth  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
world.  Charity  had  a  fine  property  left,  notwithstanding 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   CATSKILLS.  291 

the  drafts  made  upon  it  through  the  unfortunate  alli 
ance  of  her  mother.  But  the  active  mind  of  Horace 
could  not  remain  idle.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  the  city,  becoming  noted  for  an  uncom 
promising  antagonism  against  all  maladministration  of 
the  law  for  the  benefit  of  criminals — especially  great 
rogues  whose  powerful  friends  endeavored  to  shieldjTom 
the  just  consequences  of  their  crimes. 

John  Woodman  rose  rapidly  to  distinction  in  the  legal 
profession  in  his  own  county.  His  fellow-citizens  soon 
elected  him  county  judge.  At  the  very  first  court  at 
which  he  presided,  an  individual,  who  had  once  figured 
prominently  in  the  castle  of  the  Leech  Club,  who,  be 
coming  a  vagabond,  and,  wandering  back  into  the  county, 
there  committed  some  crime,  was  sentenced  by  John  to 
confinement  in  the  State  prison.  Thus  the  prophecy  of 
Phebe  Greenwood,  now  the  wife  of  John,  was  ful 
filled. 

Susan  Clarkson  entirely  recovered  her  standing  in  the 
community,  and  shortly  married  a  thrifty  farmer. 

Mr.  Graphic  profited  well  by  his  stay  in  the  Oatskills, 
for  he  soon  achieved  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
first  painters  of  natural  scenery  in  the  country. 

The  question  may  here  be  asked,  is  the  Leech  Club  ut 
terly  broken  up  and  destroyed  ?  We  fear  not.  While  the 
center  of  its  power  is  broken,  its  branches  still  exist  in 
all  parts  of  the  country.  All  government  officers  or  legis 
lators,  either  State  or  National ,  who  manage  to  obtain 
perquisites  not  legitimately  belonging  to  their  salaries, 
either  by  collusion  with  contractors,  or  as  bribes  or  pres 
ents  from  persons  interested  in  legislation ;  all  town  or 
county  officers  who  exact  or  accept  other  than  their  legal 
fees,  either  from  the  public  or  from  individuals ;  all  per 
sons  in  the  employ  of  merchants,  banking  or  other  pub 
lic  institutions,  who  unlawfully  use  the  iunds  intrusted 
to  their  care  for  private  speculation  ;  merchants  and  bank 
ers  themselves  who  take  advantage  of  the  public  necessi 
ties,  corruptly  to  manipulate  the  market,  lock  up  money, 
and  enrich  themselves,  regardless  of  the  ruin  and  misery 
of  others  ;  in  short,  all  who  aim  to  support  themselves  as 
parasites  on  the  community — to  obtain  the  proceeds  of 
the  labor  of  their  fellow-men  by  some  sort  of  chicanery 


202  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OK,  THE 

other  than  honest  work — to  live,  not  as  those  adding  any- 
thing  to  the  common  stock  of  wealth,  but  as  grabbers  of 
the  productions  of  others,  leeches  on  tl^e  body  politic 
— all  these  properly  belong  to  the  Leech  Club. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  that  only  those  are  members 
of  the  Leech  Club  who  swindle  on  a  large  scale.  The 
operations  of  the  Club  are  extended  down  into  county 
"and  town  affairs.  The  leeches  who  absorb  public  and 
private  substance  are  found  in  the  lowest  walks  of  life, 
as  well  as  the  highest ;  in  the  most  humble  political  po 
sitions  as  well  as  the  most  exalted.  Just  as  the  ship 
master,  who  has  several  large  leaks  in  his  vessel  to  con 
tend  with,  is  apt  to  neglect  the  thousands  of  smaller 
ones,  and  thus  see  his  vessel  swamped  in  a  manner  to 
him  unaccountable,  so  the  public  are  likely,  in  view  of 
wholesale  plunder  in  State  or  National  Government,  to 
overlook  the  thousands  of  peccadilloes  of  their  county 
and  town  officers  that  are  constantly  going  on  at  their 
very  doors.  How  often  is  it  a  matter  of  wonder  that, 
with  high  local  taxes,  the  thoroughfares  are  anything 
but  thorough,  and  the  bridges  are  mere  dead-falls,  to 
catch  the  unwary  tax-payers,  who  have  so  culpably  al 
lowed  the  local  leeches  to  swindle  the  tottering  structures 
of  the  funds  that  would  have  made  them  safe  and  sub 
stantial.  There  are  those  who  believe  that  the  sum 
total  of  the  life  blood  of  the  commonwealth  drawn  from 
the  public  funds  by  the  innumerable  army  of  small  offi 
cials,  who  are  expected  to  guard  the  destinies  of  town 
and  county,  is  greater  in  the  aggregate  than  that  ab 
stracted  by  all  the  operations  on  a  larger  scale,  prac 
ticed  by  the  more  dignified  officials  who  administer  the 
affairs  of  State  and  Nation.  And  we  find,  in  small 
affairs  as  in  greater  ones,  the  same  ramification  of  chief 
leeches,  nnd  secondary  blood-suckers.  The  chief  leech 
is  perhaps  the  official,  who  has  the  handling  of  the 
funds,  and  the  dispensing  of  contracts.  The  secondary 
suckers  are  the  friends  of  the  official,  who  are  allowed 
to  draw  what  blood  there  is  left  in  the  body  politic,  after 
the  chief  has  been  satiated.  For  instance,  an  official 
whose  duty  it  is  to  take  care  of  the  unclaimed  dead,  or 
hold  inquests  on  those  who  die  by  accident,  perhaps 
has  a  needy  friend,  a  physician,  who  has  not  been  very 


MYSTERIES    OF    THE   CATSKILLS.  293 

successful  in  doctoring  the  living.  So  to  help  him 
along,  the  official  calls  him  in  to  attend  the  dead,  who  are 
not  so  particular  as  to  the  physician  who  ministers  to 
them.  The  town  or  county  pays  a  liberal  fee,  the  pa 
tient  finds  no  fault,  and  the  practitioner  is  happy,  snap 
ping  his  fingers  in  the  faces  of  the  less  appreciative  liv 
ing  patients.  Again,  an  official,  contracting  for  the 
construction  of  some  local  public  work,  has  an  under 
standing  with  the  dealer  who  furnishes  the  materials,  . 
as  well  as  the  contractor,  all  dividing  profits  and  com 
missions,  and  altogether  forming  a  harmonious  coterie, 
being  proportion  ately  happy  to  the  amount  of  pap  which 
their  generous  mother,  the  public,  places  in  their  dish,  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  rest  of  the  family. 

"  Commission  "  is  one  of  the  most  beneficent  words  in 
our  language.  Only  for  it,  many  of  the  transactions 
constantly  practiced  by  members  of  the  Leech  Club 
would  be  designated  by  a  much  harsher  name.  For  in 
stance,  an  official  whose  duty  it  is  to  purchase  articles 
for  public  use,  exacts  from  the  dealer  a  certain  amount 
of  money  for  his  own  benefit.  ISTow,  but  for  the  con 
venient  word,  "  commission,"  this  transaction  would  be 
called  stealing  on  the  part  of  the  official,  and  collusion 
on  the  part  of  the*dealer ;  for  there  are  people  who  say 
that  whatever  deduction  is  made  from  the  articles  pur 
chased,  belongs  to  the  public.  Men  employed  at  a  stated 
salary  by  private  individuals,  often  find  opportunities  to 
make  "  commissions  "  in  the  same  manner,  which  profits 
would  be  characterized  by  the  same  harsh  term,  but  far 
that  excellent  word,  "  commission ;"  for  otherwise,  all 
such  profits  belong  to  the  employer.  But  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  such  gains  are  only  legitimate  to  the 
members  of  the  Leech  Club,  who  first  invented  the 
word,  "  commission,"  as  applied  to  transactions  that  are 
essentially  "stealing.  Not  content  wirh  throwing  a  good 
ly  portion  of  the  taxes  collected  into  the  lap  of  its 
friends,  the  Leech  Club  numbers  among  its  member 
ship  many  assessors  of  taxes,  who  assess  much  above 
their  fair  proportion  certain  individuals  or  corporations 
who  have  little  chance  of  redress,  and  thus  relieve  their 
more  favored  friends'  of  the  burden  And  so  the  tran 
sactions  of  the  Club  may  be  brought  into  every  house- 


9 

294  THE    LEECH    CLTJB ;   OR,    THE 

hold,  and  men  need  jiot  look  further  than  their  own 
door-sills  to  find  the  operations  of  this  mysterious  organ 
ization.  Their  nearest  neighbor,  the  staid  assessor,  the 
law-abiding  and  law-dispensing  justice -of-the-peace,  the 
dignified  supervisor,  the  doleful  coroner,  may  be  an  un 
suspected  member  of  the  Leech  Club,  all  knowing  each 
other  by  the  mystic  password,  as  potent  in  affording 
plunder,  as  the  "  Open  Sesame  "  of  the  Forty  Thieves. 

The  people  have  become  accustomed  to  the  every-day 
bleeding  practiced  by  the  leeches,  but  they  tremble 
whenever  any  large  public  work  is  to  be  carried  on. 
For  they  know,  in  any  large  expenditure  of  the  public 
funds,  at  least  one  dollar  will  be  abstracted  by  the  leeches 
for  every  dollar  that  is  legitimately  expended ;  and  they 
consider  themselves  favored  if  they  get  off  as  well  as 
that. 

Should  this  narrative  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
Leech  Club  is  entirely  destroyed,  then  it  will  have  been 
worse  than  written  in  vain.  Better  that  the  notes  and 
memorandum  of  Horace  Lackfathe,  who  furnished  mate 
rials  for  it,  had  been  lost  in  the  gulf  of  the  gloomy  cav 
ern,  where  he  well-nigh  lost  his  life,  than  we  should  ar 
rive  at  such  a  "  lame  and  impotent  conclusion."  This 
tale  but  recites  the  doings  of  a  few,  comparatively,  of 
that  noted  Club,  showing  to  what  extent  they  will  push 
their  operations  when  let  alone  by  the  indolent  public, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  they  are  better  served.  It 
must  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  members  of  the  Club  are 
not  confined  to  any  locality.  There  is  no  State  free 
from  their  manipulations,  and  they  have  a  strong  foot 
ing  in  the  halls  of  the  National  Government.  It  is  not  ne 
cessary  that  we  shall  specify  wherein  the  Club  have  aught 
to  do  in  manipulating  our  National  affairs.  The  reader 
has  only  to  reflect  for  a  moment,  and  he  will  readily 
classify  such  and  such  operations  as  the  undoubted 
work  of  the  Leech  Club.  In  this  narrative,  only  a  few 
of  the  more  prominent  operations  of  the  Club  have 
been  related  incidentally  as  a  part  of  the  tale ;  and  it 
was  not  the  intention  to  give  a  thorough  account  of  their 
manipulations.  That  would  be  much  beyond  the  scope 
of  a  work  of  such  limited  dimensions.  But  just  as  the 
white-capped  wave  in  the.  distance  may  point  out  the 


MYSTERIES   OF    THE    CATSKILLS.  295 

location  of  a  long  line  of  breakcrs^so  this  small  ripple 
may  remind  the  reader  that  a  powerful  undercurrent  is 
constantly  tending  to  sap  the  foundations  of  government 
and  society ;  that  the  Leech  Club  are  neither  dead  nor 
sleeping. 

While  it  is  not  probable  that  the  Leech  Club  will  be 
entirely  annihilated  till  the  Millennium  comes,  the  only 
way  in  which  they  can  be  kept  in  check  is  obvious. 
Honest  men  must  universally  take  part  in  public  affairs. 
How  few  consider  it  worth  while  for  them  to  attend  the 
primary  meetings,  where  their  rulers  are  virtually  chosen. 
They  generally  leave  this  part  of  the  work  to  be  done  by 
a  small  clique  of  designing  men,  who,  in  many  cases, 
wield  a  power  equal  to  that  of  the  favored  aristocracy 
during  the  feudal  ages.  If  people  expect  to  reap  the  full 
advantages  of  a  republican  government,  they  must  not 
be  too  indolent  to  perform  the  duties  of  freemen.  If 
they  leave  the  administration  of  public  affairs  to  knaves, 
they  can  expect  nothing  less  than  to  be  plundered  and 
oppressed. 

Human  nature  is  not  greatly  different  from  what  it  was 
in  the  days  of  the  Roman  republic.  Men  grasp  for 
power  and  spoils  now,  as  they  did  then.  So  long  as  the 
Roman  people  were  vigilant,  no  tyrant  could  elevate 
himself  upon  the  ruins  of  their  liberty.  But  when  they 
became  rich  and  indolent,  a  Sylla,  a  Marios,  a  Csesar,  or 
a  Nero,  could  hold  despotic  sway,  and  the  rich,  indolent 
citizens  looked  on  indifferently,  so  long  as  they  were  suf 
fered  to  retain  enough  of  their  substance  to  live  in  luxu 
rious  ease ;  even  though  their  nearest  neighbors  fell  be 
neath  the  proscription,  and  they  were  not  sure  whose  turn 
might  come  next.  We  have  seen,  in  the  case  of  the 
Leech  Club,  how  completely,  even  in  this  so-called  "  en 
lightened  age,"  a  few  aggressive  men  may  get  the  whole 
community  by  the  throat.  They  were,  for  a  time,  as  ab 
solute  masters  of  the  commonwealth  as  were  Sylla  or 
Nero.  And  the  people  of  this  country  may  expect  that 
cliques  will  continue  in  attempts  to  do  the  same  thing, 
imtil  men  shall  cease  to  love  power  and  lucre,  and  the 
devil  shall  forget  his  cunning.  A  good  government  is 
only  secured  by  means  of  safeguards,  and  when  the  peo 
ple  cease  to  give  the  necessary  attention  to  public  affairs, 


296  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OE.  THE 

to  exclude  professional  knaves  from  office,  then  the  ad 
ministration  thereof  will  fall  into  the  hands  of  tyrants. 
In  Rome,  generally,  a  single  tyrant  held  sway,  and,  sup 
ported  by  an  army,  it  was  the  harder  to  dislodge  him. 
In  our  own  country,  when  the  people  abdicate  the  admin 
istration  of  affairs,  from  indolence  or  negligence,  then  a 
clique  of  tyrants  take  the  government  in  hand,  and  be 
ing  likely  to  disagree  among  themselves,  they  are  the 
easier  ousted  through  the  ballots  of  the  awakened  free 
men  ;  but  the  clique  may  be  able  to  do  an  immeasurable 
amount  of  mischief  before  power  can  be  wrested  from 
their  hands.  All  this  immense  waste  of  the  public  sub 
stance,  and  demoralization  of  the  community,  might  be 
avoided  if  the  people  would  only  exercise  a  constant  vig 
ilance,  and  never  allow  the  knaves  to  obtain  control.  As 
often  as  our  people  act  on  the  assumption  that  the  human 
race  is  so  far  improved  that  the  mass  of  citizens  may  sink 
into  indolent  repose,  and  leave  the  administration  of  gen 
eral  and  local  government  to  a  few  active  men,  who  take 
an  interest  in  such  things,  just  so  often  will  they  incur 
the  risk  of  being  robbed  and  oppressed.  There  are  few 
so  good  that  power  may  be  safely  put  into  their  hands 
without  checks  and  safeguards.  The  chief  difference  be 
tween  the  men  of  "  this  enlightened  age,"  and  those  of 
ancient  times,  when  a  Roman  Consul  at  the  head  of  a 
victorious  army,  thought  nothing  of  turning  the  arms  of 
his  legions  against  his  own  country,  establishing  himself 
as  supreme  dictator,  massacreing  thousands  of  citizens, 
and  confiscating  their  property  to  reward  his  myrmidons, 
is  this :  Modern  statesmanship  has  invented  greater 
safeguards  to  prevent  the  consummation  of  such  treach 
erous  acts,  and  he  who  attempts  them  is  more  likely  to 
proceed  to  his  own  ruin.  To  make  men  honest,  we  must 
make  it  disadvantageous  for  them  to  be  dishonest.  l>ut 
with  all  the  improved  governmental  machinery  of  "  this 
enlightened  age,"  we  have  seen  the  Leech  Club,  through 
the  indifference  of  the  freemen,  make  a  sport  and  play 
thing  of  the  public  administration,  almost  as  effectually 
as  did  some  of  the  most  detested  tyrants  of  Rome.  Men 
love  power  and  money  as  well  as  they  did  of  old,  and  are 
apparently  just  as  unscrupulous  as  to  the  means  of  ob 
taining  them. 


MYSTERIES    OF   THE   GATSKILLS.  297 

In  conclusion,  doubtless  the  reader  asks :  "  What 
about  the  apparently  supernatural  manifestations,  so  of 
ten  mentioned  in  this  tale  ?"  These  have  been  related 
just  as  they  appeared  to  those  who  encountered  them,  and 
the  reader  has  as  much  data  from  which  to  form  a  con 
clusion  as  the  writer.  We  can  enlighten  him  no  further 
on  the  subject.  Mysteries  of  this  nature  have  perplexed 
all  generations,  and  will  doubtless  continue  to  do  so  as 
long  as  jpeople  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
For,  admitting  that  the  disembodied  spirit  enters  upon  a 
new  and  active  existence,  there  will  always  be  those  who 
believe  that  it  will  sometimes  deign  to  visit  the  scenes  of 
its  earthly  pilgrimage.  If  the  reader  should  feel  a  disap 
pointment  that  these  strange  matters  are  not  cleared  up 
in  the  conclusion,  we  suggest  to  him  that  he  just  call  to 
mind  all  the  stories  of  the  supernatural  that  he  ever  heard, 
and  reflect  if  he  ever  knew  one  to  be  satisfactorily  ex 
plained.  He  will  find  that,  in  some  instances,  the  gob 
lin,  on  investigation,  proved  to  be  a  shadow  of  some  real, 
unobservable  object,  and  that  the  strange  noises  were 
sometimes  caused  by  an  unhhfged  door  or  shutter,  or  the 
scraping  of  the  limb  of  a  tree  on  the  roof  of  a  dwelling. 
In  other  cases  he  will  find  that  the  strange  manifestations 
and  appearances  could  be  accounted  for  in  no  other  way 
than  on  supernatural  grounds,  and  they  seemed  so  well 
authenticated  as  to  puzzle  the  learned,  and  confound  the 
stubborn.  Neither  of  these  explanations  is  satisfactory  ; 
for  when  the  ghostly  visitant  is  shown  to  be  a  stump,  a 
bush,  a  scarecrow  in  a  cornfield,  or  a  mischievous  wight 
wrapped  up  in  a  sheet,  squatting  behind  a  tombstone,  the 
reader  thinks  it  is  a  good  and  marvelous  story  spoiled, 
and  he  is  far  from  being  satisfied ;  and  when  a  ghostly 
tale  ends,  leaving  all  the  proofs  that  can  ever  be  obtained 
that  something  supernatural  actually  did  appear,  it  is  just 
as  unsatisfactory.  The  reader  wants  more  proof.  He 
wants  the  ghost  caught  and  caged,  that  he  may  visit  him, 
converse  with  him,  shake  hands  with  him,  and  perhaps 
ask  him  to  dinner,  and  make  sure  that  he  is  a  real  ghost, 
and  no  humbug  ;  forgetting  that"  in  the  very  nature  of  a 
ghost,  the  visitor  from  the  other  world  cannot  be  retained 
in  the  tightest  kind  of  a  cage  that  can  be  constructed  ;  he 
could  not  be  even  bottled  up  and  brought  home,  as  is  of- 
13* 


298  THE  LEECH  CLUB;  OR,  THE 

ten  done  with  other  kinds  of  spirits ;  and  as  for  shaking 
hands,  the  mere  touch  would  create  a  doubt  as  to  whether 
he  was  not  a  ghostly  fraud  ;  and  as  for  taking  dinner,  it 
is  totally  out  of  the  question.  Suppose  you  got  him 
seated  at  your  table,  as  the  ghost  of  Banquo  was  at  that 
of  Macbeth,  there  would  not  be  substance  enough  about 
him  to  retain  the  food  and  drink.  The  meats,  vegetables, 
gravy,  etc.,  taken  into  his  shadowy  mouth  would  fall 
upon  the  carpet,  to  the  great  distress  of  the  housewife. 
And,  supposing  that  he  Was  a  bottled-up  ghost,  how 
could  you  offer  him  a  bottle  of  claret, "to  wash  down  his 
dinner  ?  It  would  only  be  emptying  one  bottle  into  'an 
other. 

Hence  the  reader  will  see  the  impossibility  of  explain 
ing  these  mysteries,  with  all  the  light  on  such  subjects 
that  we  have  at  present.  There  are  various  ways  of  dis 
posing  of  such  matters.  Some  people  cut  the  Gordian 
knot,  by  declaring  categorically  that  they  believe  nothing 
in  them.  Others  admit  that  there  do  seem  to  be  matters 
apparently  supernatural,  that  can  be  explained  in  no  other 
way.  Others  give  their  unqualified  belief  to  the  super 
natural  theory.  We  leave  to  the  reader  the  free  choice 
to  adopt  whichever  method  of  disposing  of  the  mysteries 
herein  related  as  suits  his  own  convictions.  All  that  we 
claim  is  to  have  related  things  no  more  wonderful  than 
many  believe  actually  to  have  occurred.  We  are  only 
acting  as  historian  in  the  matter,  recording  the  professed 
experience  of  others.  That,  of  late  years,  such  occur 
rences  have  been  reported  from  various  parts  of  the 
country,  no  one  will  deny.  We  have  not  assumed  the 
task  of  demonstrating  whether  a  portion,  or  all  of  these, 
are  really  supernatural,  or  a  humbug,  a  delusion,  a  con 
summate  legerdemain,  or  whether  such  as  do  not  partake 
of  these  natures,  may  be  explained  on  scientific  grounds. 


THE   END. 


